TY - GEN
T1 - Shoulder abduction loading affects motor coordination in individuals with chronic stroke, informing targeted rehabilitation
AU - Kalinowska, Aleksandra
AU - Rudy, Kyra
AU - Schlafly, Millicent
AU - Fitzsimons, Kathleen
AU - Dewald, Julius P.
AU - Murphey, Todd D.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 IEEE.
PY - 2020/11
Y1 - 2020/11
N2 - Individuals post stroke experience motor impairments, such as loss of independent joint control, weakness, and delayed movement initiation, leading to an overall reduction in arm function. Their motion becomes slower and more discoordinated, making it difficult to complete timing-sensitive tasks, such as balancing a glass of water or carrying a bowl with a ball inside it. Understanding how the stroke-induced motor impairments interact with each other can help design assisted training regimens for improved recovery. In this study, we investigate the effects of abnormal joint coupling patterns induced by flexion synergy on timing-sensitive motor coordination in the paretic upper limb. We design a virtual ball-in-bowl task that requires fast movements for optimal performance and implement it on a robotic system, capable of providing varying levels of abduction loading at the shoulder. We recruit 12 participants (6 individuals with chronic stroke and 6 unimpaired controls) and assess their skill at the task at 3 levels of loading, defined by the vertical force applied at the robot end-effector. Our results show that, for individuals with stroke, loading has a significant effect on their ability to generate quick coordinated motion. With increases in loading, their overall task performance decreases and they are less able to compensate for ball dynamics - frequency analysis of their motion indicates that abduction loading weakens their ability to generate movements at the resonant frequency of the dynamic task. This effect is likely due to an increased reliance on lower resolution indirect motor pathways in individuals post stroke. Given the inter-dependency of loading and dynamic task performance, we can create targeted robot-aided training protocols focused on improving timing-sensitive motor control, similar to existing progressive loading therapies, which have shown efficacy for expanding reachable workspace post stroke.
AB - Individuals post stroke experience motor impairments, such as loss of independent joint control, weakness, and delayed movement initiation, leading to an overall reduction in arm function. Their motion becomes slower and more discoordinated, making it difficult to complete timing-sensitive tasks, such as balancing a glass of water or carrying a bowl with a ball inside it. Understanding how the stroke-induced motor impairments interact with each other can help design assisted training regimens for improved recovery. In this study, we investigate the effects of abnormal joint coupling patterns induced by flexion synergy on timing-sensitive motor coordination in the paretic upper limb. We design a virtual ball-in-bowl task that requires fast movements for optimal performance and implement it on a robotic system, capable of providing varying levels of abduction loading at the shoulder. We recruit 12 participants (6 individuals with chronic stroke and 6 unimpaired controls) and assess their skill at the task at 3 levels of loading, defined by the vertical force applied at the robot end-effector. Our results show that, for individuals with stroke, loading has a significant effect on their ability to generate quick coordinated motion. With increases in loading, their overall task performance decreases and they are less able to compensate for ball dynamics - frequency analysis of their motion indicates that abduction loading weakens their ability to generate movements at the resonant frequency of the dynamic task. This effect is likely due to an increased reliance on lower resolution indirect motor pathways in individuals post stroke. Given the inter-dependency of loading and dynamic task performance, we can create targeted robot-aided training protocols focused on improving timing-sensitive motor control, similar to existing progressive loading therapies, which have shown efficacy for expanding reachable workspace post stroke.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85095575496&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85095575496&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1109/BioRob49111.2020.9224454
DO - 10.1109/BioRob49111.2020.9224454
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:85095575496
T3 - Proceedings of the IEEE RAS and EMBS International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics
SP - 1010
EP - 1017
BT - 2020 8th IEEE RAS/EMBS International Conference for Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics, BioRob 2020
PB - IEEE Computer Society
T2 - 8th IEEE RAS/EMBS International Conference for Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics, BioRob 2020
Y2 - 29 November 2020 through 1 December 2020
ER -