The Effect of a Physical Training with the Use of an Exoskeleton on Depression Levels in Institutionalized Elderly Patients: A Pilot Study.

Context: The Human Body Posturizer (HBP) is an exoskeleton used in the neurorehabilitation. The HBP may improve motor control by stimulating the pre-frontal cortex, a brain region involved also in the inhibitory modulation of the amygdala whose hyperactivity is involved in the mechanisms of depression.

Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate in institutionalized elderly patients the effects on depression of a physical training with the use of the HBP compared to a traditional training.