A passive robotic device for VR-augmented upper limb rehabilitation in stroke patients

Abstract

We present a feasibility study for the combined use of a passive robotic device, virtual reality and high resolution en-cephalography (HR-EEG) in the upper limb rehabilitation in stroke patients'. Five virtual environments (VEs) simulating activities of daily living or abstract visuo-motor coordination tasks were developed. They require a series of short, com-parable limb movements in two- or three-dimensional space. HR-EEG and kinematic data from the robotic device were recorded synchronously, allowing to epoch EEG signals on the basis of the movement onset and therefore to monitor ac-tivation of cortical motor areas during task execution. The analysis of the kinematic parameters confirmed theoretical assumptions, and the movement-related cortical maps showed the expected spatial activation pattern. © 2012 by Walter de Gruyter.