Ricerc@Sapienza

No methods and systems effectively assess the quality of the hand movements in unilateral stroke patients with motor impairments of the upper limb in measurable way. This project will explore the problem focusing on methodological and technological development of a new tool for the evaluation of the quality of upper limb movements.
In particular, it aims to improve (a) the acquisition set-up commonly used to decode upper limb residual muscle activity in stroke patients, integrating it of systems for acquiring kinematic and kinetic magnitudes and (b) the protocol of analysis of myoelectric signals (electrical activity generated by muscles), using pattern recognition techniques validated for others application fields. The project will study how to merge the quantitative multimodal (myoelectric and biomechanical) information and the qualitative evaluation by clinicians for characterizing movements considered correct/wrong. Indeed, the goals of the rehabilitation strategy (considered in this project) are to reinforce voluntary movements reflecting correct movement (if any) and discourage pathological synergies, co-contraction of antagonist muscles, leading to spasticity. In this way stroke patients could re-learn motor scheme by having voluntary (covert and/or overt) access to the affected limb.
Developing a flexible and affordable Brain Computer Interface-driven rehabilitation device, in which a combined approach based on reinforcement of both mental rehearsal of (hand) movements and residual motor ability will positively affect individual post-stroke function motor outcome, is the ultimate goal of the project.