[Abstract] FUNCTIONAL NEAR-INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY-BASED UPPER EXTREMITY FUNCTION REHABILITATION FOR STROKE SURVIVOR: A REVIEW

Abstract

Recently, the functional near-infrared spectroscopy (600–900nm electromagnetic wave) (ff-NIRS)-based rehabilitation researches have been studied for understanding the human brain. Although ff-NIRS can successfully measure the relative blood concentration changes of oxy-hemoglobin (HbO) and deoxy-hemoglobin (HbR) as an assessment tool to identify significant clinical intervention during pre- and post-rehabilitation therapy for stroke survivors, there is insufficient information particularly on the use of ff-NIRS as a clinical translation in upper extremity function rehabilitation. In order to widely utilize the ff-NIRS for upper extremity rehabilitation, device information, experiment design, measurement procedure, and analyzing method are described for clinician aspect in this study. In addition, further research trend was introduced from previous studies for stroke survivor rehabilitation. The authors believed that the information provided in this study can be a useful guideline to encourage future researchers to focus on upper extremity function rehabilitation of stroke survivors.

 

 

via FUNCTIONAL NEAR-INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY-BASED UPPER EXTREMITY FUNCTION REHABILITATION FOR STROKE SURVIVOR: A REVIEW | Journal of Mechanics in Medicine and Biology

[ARTICLE] Cortical Mechanisms of Mirror Therapy After Stroke – Full Text PDF

Abstract

Background and Objective. Mirror therapy is a new form of stroke rehabilitation that uses the mirror reflection of the unaffected hand in place of the affected hand to augment movement training. The mechanism of mirror therapy is not known but is thought to involve changes in cerebral organization. We used magnetoencephalography (MEG) to measure changes in cortical activity during mirror training after stroke. In particular, we examined movement-related changes in the power of cortical oscillations in the beta (15-30 Hz) frequency range, known to be involved in movement.

Methods. Ten stroke patients with upper limb paresis and 13 healthy controls were recorded using MEG while performing bimanual hand movements in 2 different conditions. In one, subjects looked directly at their affected hand (or dominant hand in controls), and in the other, they looked at a mirror reflection of their unaffected hand in place of their affected hand. The movement related beta desynchronization was calculated in both primary motor cortices.

Results. Movement related beta desynchronization was symmetrical during bilateral movement and unaltered by the mirror condition in controls. In the patients, movement related beta desynchronization was generally smaller than in controls, but greater in contralesional compared to ipsilesional motor cortex. This initial asymmetry in movement-related beta desynchronization between hemispheres was made more symmetrical by the presence of the mirror.

Conclusions. Mirror therapy could potentially aid stroke rehabilitation by normalizing an asymmetrical pattern of movement related beta desynchronization in primary motor cortices during bilateral movement.

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[WEB SITE] Smartphones Reshape Sensory Processing Via Neuroplasticity

Smartphones Reshape Sensory Processing Via Neuroplasticity

PUBLISHED ON DECEMBER 30, 2014

Smartphones are just one of the personal digital technologies that were shown capable of shaping cortical sensory processing in the modern human brain, according to findings from a study recently published in the journal Current Biology.

First author of the study, Anne-Dominique Gindrat, MS, is a PhD candidate who has published previous investigations about difference in hand dominance and whole-scalp electroencephalography (EEG) mapping. Those studies were on non-human primates, whereas the recent article, “Use-Dependent Cortical Processing from Fingertips in Touchscreen Phone Users,” was based on a study with human subjects.

The study pointed out that smartphone users demonstrate an enhanced thumb sensory representation in the brain, and that brain activity is proportional to use accumulated over the previous 10 days.

Another significant finding noted from the study is that an episode of intense use is transiently imprinted on the sensory representation. And, in addition, sensory processing in the brain is adjusted on demand by touchscreen phone use.

The study abstract points out that cortical activity allotted to the tactile receptors on human fingertips are related to the level of skill with which a hand is used. Surgeons, masterful musicians, or video game players may exhibit a higher degree of response to touch on certain portions of their fingers than individuals who do not have highly developed touch skills. Similar characteristics are also found among certain primates who are trained in grasp-and-release skills.

Electroencephalography was used by the researchers to measure the cortical potentials in response to mechanical touch on the thumb, index, and middle fingertips of study subjects who used touchscreen phones, as well as those who used older styles of mobile phones. All three fingers demonstrated higher cortical potentials among those who used touchscreen phones.

The authors note: “Our results suggest that repetitive movements on the smooth touchscreen reshaped sensory processing from the hand and that the thumb representation was updated daily depending on its use.”

[Source: Current Biology]

Smartphones Reshape Sensory Processing Via Neuroplasticity | Rehab Managment.