scholarly journals Increasing Motor Cortex Activation During Grasping Via Novel Robotic Mirror Hand Therapy: A Pilot fNIRS Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dong Hyun Kim ◽  
Kun-Do Lee ◽  
Thomas C Bulea ◽  
Hyung-Soon Park
Keyword(s):  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Hand Movement ◽  
Cortical Activation ◽  
Neural Activation ◽  
Mirror Therapy ◽  
Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Motor Intention ◽  
Contralateral Motor ◽  
Passive Movements

Abstract Background: Mirror therapy (MT) has been used for functional recovery of the affected hand by providing the mirrored image of the unaffected hand movement, which induces neural activation of the contralateral cortical hemisphere. Recently, many wearable robots assisting the movement of the hand have been developed, and several studies have proposed robotic mirror therapy (RMT) that provides mirrored movements of the unaffected hand on the affected hand with the robot controlled by electromyography or posture of the unaffected hand. There have been limited evaluations of the cortical activity during RMT compared to MT and robotic therapy (RT) providing passive movements despite the difference in the modality of sensory feedback and the involvement of motor intention, respectively. Methods: This paper analyzes bilateral motor cortex activation in nine healthy subjects and five chronic stroke survivors during a pinching task performed in MT, RT, and RMT conditions using functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). In the MT condition, the person moved the unaffected hand and observed it in a mirror while the affected hand remained still. In RT condition passive movements were provided to the affected hand with a cable-driven soft robotic glove, while, in RMT condition, the posture of the unaffected hand was measured by a sensing glove and the soft robotic glove mirrored its movement on the affected hand. Results: For both groups, the RMT condition showed the greatest mean cortical activation on the contralateral motor cortex compared to other conditions. Individual results indicate that RMT induces similar or greater neural activation on the motor cortex compared to MT and RT conditions. The interhemispheric activations of both groups were balanced in RMT condition. In MT condition, significantly greater activation was shown on the ipsilateral side for both subject groups, while the contralateral side showed significantly greater activation for healthy in RT condition. Conclusion: The experimental results indicate that combining visual feedback, somatosensory feedback, and motor intention are important for greater stimulation on the contralateral motor cortex of the affected hand. RMT that includes these factors is hypothesized to achieve a more effective functional rehabilitation due to greater and more balanced cortical activation.

scholarly journals Assessment of Brain Cortical Activation in Passive Movement During Wrist Task Using Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maziar Jalalvandi ◽  
Hamid Sharini ◽  
Yousof Naderi ◽  
Nader RiahiAlam
Keyword(s):  
Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Passive Movement ◽  
Cortical Activation ◽  
Movement Direction ◽  
Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Activation Patterns

Purpose: Nowadays, the number of people diagnosed with movement disorders is increasing. Therefore, the evaluation of brain activity during motor task performance has attracted the attention of researchers in recent years. Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a useful method that measures hemodynamic changes in the brain cortex based on optical principles. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the brain’s cortical activation in passive movement of the wrist. Materials and Methods: In current study, the activation of the brain's motor cortex during passive movement of the right wrist was investigated. To perform this study, ten healthy young right-handed volunteers were chosen. The required data were collected using a commercial 48-channel continuous wave fNIRS machine, using two different wavelengths of 765 and 855 nm at 10 Hz sampling rate. Results: Analysis of collected data showed that the brain's motor cortex during passive motion was significantly activated (p≤0.05) compared to rest. Motor cortex activation patterns depending on passive movement direction were separated. In different directions of wrist movement, the maximum activation was recorded at the primary motor cortex (M1). Conclusion: The present study has investigated the ability of fNIRS to evaluate cortical activation during passive movement of the wrist. Analysis of recording signals showed that different directions of movement have specific activation patterns in the motor cortex.

scholarly journals Hyper-connectivity between the left motor cortex and prefrontal cortex is associated with the severity of dysfunction of the descending pain modulatory system in fibromyalgia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Álvaro de Oliveira Franco ◽  
Camila Fernandes ◽  
Paul Vicunha ◽  
Janete Bandeira ◽  
Maria Adelia Aratanha ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Cold Water ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Pain Modulation ◽  
Cortical Activation ◽  
Cortical Function ◽  
Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
American College Of Rheumatology

AbstractThe impaired cortical function likely plays a critical role in chronic pain maintenance and fibromyalgia symptoms. Functional connectivity (FC), as assessed by functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), is a promising approach that evaluates cortical activation through hemodynamic response estimation. This study compared the FC of bilateral motor and prefrontal cortices between responders and nonresponders to the conditioned pain modulation test (CPM-test) induced by hand immersion in cold water (0–1°C). We included 37 women with fibromyalgia according to the American College of Rheumatology diagnoses criteria (n = 23 responders to CPM-test and n = 14 nonresponders). After the adjustment for multiple comparisons, we found that nonresponders relative to responders showed higher FC between the left motor cortex (LMC) with the left prefrontal cortex (LPFC) and right prefrontal cortex (RPFC). The psychiatric diagnoses were also positively associated with a higher FC in LMC–LPFC and LMC–RPFC. These results indicate that the increased connectivity between the left motor and bilateral prefrontal cortex might be a neural marker of DPMS dysfunction and an intermediate in the interplay between fibromyalgia and psychiatric disorders.

scholarly journals Decreasing the Surgical Errors by Neurostimulation of Primary Motor Cortex and the Associated Brain Activation via Neuroimaging

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuanyuan Gao ◽  
Lora Cavuoto ◽  
Anirban Dutta ◽  
Uwe Kruger ◽  
Pingkun Yan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Motor Skills ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Sham Group ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Cortical Activation ◽  
Fine Motor ◽  
Transcranial Electrical Stimulation ◽  
Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Surgical Errors

Acquisition of fine motor skills is a time-consuming process as it is based on learning via frequent repetitions. Transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) is a promising means of enhancing simple motor skill development via neuromodulatory mechanisms. Here, we report that non-invasive neurostimulation facilitates the learning of complex fine bimanual motor skills associated with a surgical task. During the training of 12 medical students on the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) pattern cutting task over a period of 12 days, we observed that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) decreased error level and the variability in performance, compared to the Sham group. Furthermore, by concurrently monitoring the cortical activations of the subjects via functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), our study showed that the cortical activation patterns were significantly different between the tDCS and Sham group, with the activation of primary motor cortex (M1) and prefrontal cortex (PFC) contralateral to the anodal electrode significantly decreased while supplemental motor area (SMA) increased by tDCS. The lowered performance errors were retained after 1-month post-training. This work supports the use of tDCS to enhance performance accuracy in fine bimanual motor tasks.

scholarly journals Vibration over the larynx increases swallowing and cortical activation for swallowing

2017 ◽  
Vol 118 (3) ◽  
pp. 1698-1708 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel W. Mulheren ◽  
Christy L. Ludlow
Keyword(s):  
Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Cortical Activation ◽  
Vibratory Stimulation ◽  
Hemodynamic Responses ◽  
Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
The Voice ◽  
Healthy Participants

Sensory input can alter swallowing control in both the cortex and brainstem. Electrical stimulation of superior laryngeal nerve afferents increases reflexive swallowing in animals, with different frequencies optimally effective across species. Here we determined 1) if neck vibration overlying the larynx affected the fundamental frequency of the voice demonstrating penetration of vibration into the laryngeal tissues, and 2) if vibration, in comparison with sham, increased spontaneous swallowing and enhanced cortical hemodynamic responses to swallows in the swallowing network. A device with two motors, one over each thyroid lamina, delivered intermittent 10-s epochs of vibration. We recorded swallows and event-related changes in blood oxygenation level to swallows over the motor and sensory swallowing cortexes bilaterally using functional near infrared spectroscopy. Ten healthy participants completed eight 20-min conditions in counterbalanced order with either epochs of continuous vibration at 30, 70, 110, 150, and 70 + 110 Hz combined, 4-Hz pulsed vibration at 70 + 110 Hz, or two sham conditions without stimulation. Stimulation epochs were separated by interstimulus intervals varying between 30 and 45 s in duration. Vibration significantly reduced the fundamental frequency of the voice compared with no stimulation demonstrating that vibration penetrated laryngeal tissues. Vibration at 70 and at 150 Hz increased spontaneous swallowing compared with sham. Hemodynamic responses to swallows in the motor cortex were enhanced during conditions containing stimulation compared with sham. As vibratory stimulation on the neck increased spontaneous swallowing and enhanced cortical activation for swallows in healthy participants, it may be useful for enhancing swallowing in patients with dysphagia. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Vibratory stimulation at 70 and 150 Hz on the neck overlying the larynx increased the frequency of spontaneous swallowing. Simultaneously vibration also enhanced hemodynamic responses in the motor cortex to swallows when recorded with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). As vibrotactile stimulation on the neck enhanced cortical activation for swallowing in healthy participants, it may be useful for enhancing swallowing in patients with dysphagia.

scholarly journals Changes in Sensorimotor Cortical Activation in Children Using Prostheses and Prosthetic Simulators

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 991
Author(s):  
Christopher Copeland ◽  
Mukul Mukherjee ◽  
Yingying Wang ◽  
Kaitlin Fraser ◽  
Jorge M. Zuniga
Keyword(s):  
Near Infrared ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Tactile Feedback ◽  
Cortical Activation ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Neural Responses ◽  
Motor Tasks ◽  
Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Limb Reduction ◽  
Motor Dexterity

This study aimed to examine the neural responses of children using prostheses and prosthetic simulators to better elucidate the emulation abilities of the simulators. We utilized functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to evaluate the neural response in five children with a congenital upper limb reduction (ULR) using a body-powered prosthesis to complete a 60 s gross motor dexterity task. The ULR group was matched with five typically developing children (TD) using their non-preferred hand and a prosthetic simulator on the same hand. The ULR group had lower activation within the primary motor cortex (M1) and supplementary motor area (SMA) compared to the TD group, but nonsignificant differences in the primary somatosensory area (S1). Compared to using their non-preferred hand, the TD group exhibited significantly higher action in S1 when using the simulator, but nonsignificant differences in M1 and SMA. The non-significant differences in S1 activation between groups and the increased activation evoked by the simulator’s use may suggest rapid changes in feedback prioritization during tool use. We suggest that prosthetic simulators may elicit increased reliance on proprioceptive and tactile feedback during motor tasks. This knowledge may help to develop future prosthesis rehabilitative training or the improvement of tool-based skills.

The effect of robot-assisted gait training on cortical activation in stroke patients: A functional near-infrared spectroscopy study

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Kyeong Joo Song ◽  
Min Ho Chun ◽  
Junekyung Lee ◽  
Changmin Lee
Keyword(s):  
Gait Speed ◽  
Functional Outcomes ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Gait Training ◽  
Berg Balance Scale ◽  
Cortical Activation ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Stroke Patients ◽  
Robot Assisted ◽  
Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of the robot–assisted gait training on cortical activation and functional outcomes in stroke patients. METHODS: The patients were randomly assigned: training with Morning Walk® (Morning Walk group; n = 30); conventional physiotherapy (control group; n = 30). Rehabilitation was performed five times a week for 3 weeks. The primary outcome was the cortical activation in the Morning Walk group. The secondary outcomes included gait speed, 10-Meter Walk Test (10MWT), FAC, Motricity Index–Lower (MI–Lower), Modified Barthel Index (MBI), Rivermead Mobility Index (RMI), and Berg Balance Scale (BBS). RESULTS: Thirty-six subjects were analyzed, 18 in the Morning Walk group and 18 in the control group. The cortical activation was lower in affected hemisphere than unaffected hemisphere at the beginning of robot rehabilitation. After training, the affected hemisphere achieved a higher increase in cortical activation than the unaffected hemisphere. Consequently, the cortical activation in affected hemisphere was significantly higher than that in unaffected hemisphere (P = 0.036). FAC, MBI, BBS, and RMI scores significantly improved in both groups. The Morning Walk group had significantly greater improvements than the control group in 10MWT (P = 0.017), gait speed (P = 0.043), BBS (P = 0.010), and MI–Lower (P = 0.047) scores. CONCLUSION: Robot-assisted gait training not only improved functional outcomes but also increased cortical activation in stroke patients.

scholarly journals Modifications in Prefrontal Cortex Oxygenation in Linear and Curvilinear Dual Task Walking: A Combined fNIRS and IMUs Study

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (18) ◽  
pp. 6159
Author(s):  
Valeria Belluscio ◽  
Gabriele Casti ◽  
Marco Ferrari ◽  
Valentina Quaresima ◽  
Maria Sofia Sappia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Cognitive Task ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Motor Task ◽  
Hemoglobin Concentration ◽  
Cortical Activation ◽  
Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Gait Quality

Increased oxygenated hemoglobin concentration of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) has been observed during linear walking, particularly when there is a high attention demand on the task, like in dual-task (DT) paradigms. Despite the knowledge that cognitive and motor demands depend on the complexity of the motor task, most studies have only focused on usual walking, while little is known for more challenging tasks, such as curved paths. To explore the relationship between cortical activation and gait biomechanics, 20 healthy young adults were asked to perform linear and curvilinear walking trajectories in single-task and DT conditions. PFC activation was assessed using functional near-infrared spectroscopy, while gait quality with four inertial measurement units. The Figure-of-8-Walk-Test was adopted as the curvilinear trajectory, with the “Serial 7s” test as concurrent cognitive task. Results show that walking along curvilinear trajectories in DT led to increased PFC activation and decreased motor performance. Under DT walking, the neural correlates of executive function and gait control tend to be modified in response to the cognitive resources imposed by the motor task. Being more representative of real-life situations, this approach to curved walking has the potential to reveal crucial information and to improve people’ s balance, safety, and life’s quality.

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