Using robots and other techniques to guide stroke rehabilitation
Dukelow S
University of Calgary, Canada
Stroke can lead to a number of different sensory and motor impairments. Clinically these are typically quantified using relatively simple observer-based ordinal scales which suffer from several challenges. However, these clinical assessments form the foundation for much of what occurs in stroke rehabilitation and monitoring of clinical trials. Robotic technology offers an alternative approach to measuring sensory and motor function after stroke. This presentation will focus on the use of robotic technology for measuring impairments in movement and proprioception in the upper extremity after stroke. Studies documenting the time course of stroke recovery will be presented and links between robotic assessments and neuroimaging (lesion symptom mapping, tractography) will be reviewed.