Training muscle synergies to relearn movement: Current perspectives and future trends

Abstract

The integrity of muscle synergies patterns has been proposed as a physiological marker of cortical damage but how to modify and train muscle synergies to relearn movement is still an open question. Here we present our recent results about the modifications that the forces induced by robots can cause on upper limb muscle synergies after stroke. Our results show that a single exposure to forces provided by a robotic device can impact muscle synergies activation. Moreover, a prolonged robot-aided motor training can promote an enduring longitudinal reorganization of upper limb muscle synergies. Finally, we discuss the application of muscle synergies in neurorehabilitation to both assess the effectiveness of treatments and design novel protocols.