Effect of Visual Distraction and Auditory Feedback on Patient Effort During Robot-Assisted Movement Training After Stroke
By Secoli, Riccardo; Milot, Marie Helene; Rosati, Giulio; Reinkensmeyer, David J.; Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation, Vol. 8, No. 21Publication Date: April 23, 2011
Study explored the role of visual distraction and auditory feedback in modulating patient effort during a robot assisted tracking task. The study was undertaken in light of reduced effort having been hypothesized to diminish clinical outcomes in robotic training. Participants were 14 adults with chronic left hemiparesis from stroke and two control groups consisting of 5 adults with right hemiparesis and 14 healthy adults without impairments. Participants tracked a visual target with their left arm while receiving adaptive assistance from a pneumatic robotic arm exoskeleton, the Pneu-WREX. Four practice conditions were compared: (1) baseline tracking task alone, (2) tracking while performing a visual distracter task, (3) tracking with the visual distracter and sound feedback, and (4) tracking with sound feedback. For the distracter tasks, symbols were randomly displayed in the corners of a computer screen, and participants were instructed to click a mouse button when a target symbol appeared. The sound feedback consisted of a repeating beep, with the frequency of repetition made to increase with increasing tracking error. Participants with stroke halved their effort and doubled their tracking error when performing the visual distracter task with their left hemiparetic arm. With sound feedback, however, these participants increased their effort and decreased their tracking error close to their baseline levels, while also performing the distracter task successfully. These effects were significantly smaller for participants who used their non-paretic arm and for the participants without stroke. Study limitations and implications for future research are discussed.
Assistive Products Discussed: WREX - WILMINGTON ROBOTIC EXOSKELETON
Published by: BioMed Central Ltd (Website:http://www.biomedcentral.com)
Link to text: http://www.jneuroengrehab.com/content/8/21/21
