Authors:
Belén Rubio Ballester
1
;
Alica Lathe
1
;
Esther Duarte
2
;
Armin Duff
1
and
Paul F. M. J. Verschure
3
Affiliations:
1
Laboratory of Synthetic Perceptive, Emotive and and Cognitive Systems (SPECS), Spain
;
2
Institut Hospital del Mar d'Investigacions Mèdiques, Spain
;
3
Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Laboratory of Synthetic Perceptive, Emotive and and Cognitive Systems (SPECS), Spain
Keyword(s):
Stroke, Learned Non-use, Wearables, Motor Rehabilitation, Hemiparesis.
Related
Ontology
Subjects/Areas/Topics:
Biomedical Engineering
;
Distributed and Mobile Software Systems
;
Health Engineering and Technology Applications
;
Health Information Systems
;
Mobile Technologies
;
Mobile Technologies for Healthcare Applications
;
Monitoring Systems and Techniques
;
Neural Rehabilitation
;
NeuroSensing and Diagnosis
;
Neurotechnology, Electronics and Informatics
;
Software Engineering
Abstract:
After stroke, many patients experience hemiparesis or weakness on one side of the body. In order to compensate
for this lack of motor function, they tend to overuse their non-affected limb. This so called learned
non-use may be one of the most relevant contributors to functional loss after post-stroke hospital discharge.
We hypothesize that frequent exposure to movement related feedback through a wearable bracelet device may
1) increase the patient’s intrinsic motivation for using the paretic limb, and 2) counteract learned non-use,
therefore inducing motor recovery. First, to validate the accelerometers-based measurement of arm use, we
recruited 10 right-handed volunteers without neurological impairments. Second, we explored the acceptability
and clinical impact of a low-cost wearable system on 4 chronic stroke patients with hemiparesis. Our results
suggest that frequent exposure to direct feedback about arm use promotes the integration of the paretic limb
in the performanc
e of instrumental activities of daily living (iADLs). In addition, results from questionnaires
revealed that the use of wearable devices may influence positively the patient’s intrinsic motivation for using
the affected arm. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study suggesting the benefits of wearable-based
feedback as an intervention tool for counteracting learned non-use.
(More)