Authors (including presenting author) :
YU JKP(1)(2), TSOI KM(2), CHAN MKL(2), CHAN BCC(2), H AH(2), MA EWL(2), T RKY(1)
Affiliation :
(1)Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, (2)Hospital Authority Community Rehabilitation Service Support Center (CRSSC)
Keyword 1: :
REhabilitation
Keyword 2: :
Brain Computer Interface
Keyword 4: :
Task-Oriented
Introduction :
Stroke is a significant cause of long-term disability worldwide, resulting in upper limb impairment for many survivors. While traditional rehabilitation approaches have shown some benefits, the need for more effective interventions remains. Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) technology has emerged as a promising tool for enhancing stroke rehabilitation outcomes by enabling individuals to control devices using their brain activity with motivation and engagement, offering unique opportunities for motor recovery and functional restoration.
Objectives :
This study intended to: 1. To explore applicability of an BCI rehab system for post-stroke upper limb rehabilitation especially elbow 2. To investigate and compare the muscle coordination profile on the paretic arm of stroke survivors with healthy control and how it is affected by the BCI rehab system 3. To investigate training effects on the cortico-muscular reorganization & neuro-plasticity 4. To evaluate training effectiveness of the system by comparing the assessment results pre-training, post-training and at 3-month follow-up
Methodology :
Methodology: This Study explored the effectiveness of task-oriented training using BCI system and exoskeleton elbow and hand robot training using event-related desynchronization (ERD). 5 chronic stroke patients (3 men, 2 women) with a mean age of 53 (range 36–65) without regular clinical intervention participated in 16 training sessions of task-oriented BCI training (at least twice weekly, 60-min per session) which include: (1) Touching the face; (2) Drinking from a mug with a straw; (3) Eating with fingers; (4) Retrieving an object from the counter and (5) Pressing an elevator button. Clinical Assessment were performed at the beginning, middle and after the whole training course. The upper limb motor function was assessed by Fugl-Meyer Assessment for Upper-Limb (FMA-UL), the generic health outcomes was assessed by the SF-12® Health Survey (SF-12), and daily life upper extremity (UE) activity was represented by Arm Activity Tracking (AAT) of ratio of non-paretic hand to paretic hand.
Result & Outcome :
After the 16-session interventions, all subjects show clinically meaningful functional improvement: FMA-UL increased from 21.2(S.D.=2.86) to 31.6(S.D.=8.14), SF-12 Physical Score increased from 36.02(S.D.=8.67) to 39.98(S.D.=7.42), SF-12 Mental Score increased from 43.66(S.D.=10.46) to 46.62(S.D.=7.49), AAT of ratio of non-paretic hand to paretic hand dropped from 1.36(S.D.=0.064) to 1.21(S.D.=0.050). Task-oriented BCI training show significant functional improvement in chronic stroke patient and motivated active rehabilitation training is comprised. Further biomechanical outcome shall be carried out to investigated the biological enhancement in stroke patients.
