Reliability of the thumb localizing test and its validity against quantitative measures with a robotic device in patients with hemiparetic stroke.

Objectives: To examine the inter-rater reliability of the thumb localizing test (TLT) and its validity against quantitative measures of proprioception.

Methods: The TLT was assessed by two raters in a standardized manner in 40 individuals with hemiparetic stroke. Inter-rater reliability was examined with weighted Kappa.

Robotic Assessment of Upper Limb Function after Proximal Humeral Fracture: Personal Experience as A Patient and Occupational Therapist.

Robotics is an emerging field in rehabilitation medicine. Robots have the potential to complement traditional clinical assessments because they can measure functions more precisely and quantitatively than current clinical assessments. We present a patient with a proximal humeral fracture whose recovery process was evaluated with an exoskeleton robotic device.

A new therapeutic application of brain-machine interface (BMI) training followed by hybrid assistive neuromuscular dynamic stimulation (HANDS) therapy for patients with severe hemiparetic stroke: A proof of concept study.

Background: Hybrid assistive neuromuscular dynamic stimulation (HANDS) therapy improved paretic upper extremity motor function in patients with severe to moderate hemiparesis. We hypothesized that brain machine interface (BMI) training would be able to increase paretic finger muscle activity enough to apply HANDS therapy in patients with severe hemiparesis, whose finger extensor was absent.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of BMI training followed by HANDS therapy in patients with severe hemiparesis.

Modulation of cortical and spinal inhibition with functional recovery of upper extremity motor function among patients with chronic stroke.

Purpose: We hypothesized that recovery of upper extremity motor function is associated with reduction of intracortical inhibition and improved reciprocal inhibition. This study examines the relationships of functional recovery in chronic stroke with the intracortical inhibition and spinal reciprocal inhibition.

Methods: Participants were 61 patients with chronic hemiparetic stroke.

Clinical usefulness and validity of robotic measures of reaching movement in hemiparetic stroke patients.

Background: Various robotic technologies have been developed recently for objective and quantitative assessment of movement. Among them, robotic measures derived from a reaching task in the KINARM Exoskeleton device are characterized by their potential to reveal underlying motor control in reaching movements. The aim of this study was to examine the clinical usefulness and validity of these robot-derived measures in hemiparetic stroke patients.

Brain-computer interface training combined with transcranial direct current stimulation in patients with chronic severe hemiparesis: Proof of concept study.

Objective: Brain-computer interface technology has been applied to stroke patients to improve their motor function. Event-related desynchronization during motor imagery, which is used as a brain-computer interface trigger, is sometimes difficult to detect in stroke patients. Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is known to increase event-related desynchronization.