New Technologies for Stroke Rehabilitation
1Operative Unit F, Fondazione Santa Lucia, I.R.C.C.S., Rome, Italy
2Medical Park Berlin Humboldtmühle AG, Berlin, Germany
3Functional Exploration and Neuromodulation of Nervous System Investigation Group, Hospital Nacional de Paraplejicos, Toledo, Spain
4Clinical Laboratory of Experimental Neurorehabilitation, Fondazione Santa Lucia I.R.C.C.S., Rome, Italy
New Technologies for Stroke Rehabilitation
Description
Stroke is the leading cause of disability in all industrialized countries. Common rehabilitation usually allows about 50% of patients with stroke to recover walking, leaving the others not independent in walking and other activities of daily living.
For these reasons, an increasing number of researches are pursuing the use of new technologies to improve the efficacy of rehabilitation. For example, over the last decade, many devices for robotic- assisted gait training or for central and peripheral electrical stimulation have been developed to allow patients to perform early, intensive, and task-oriented exercises. Some studies showed the efficacy of these new technological approaches, whereas some others did not show any improvement in respect of conventional therapies. This uncertainty about efficacy, together with high purchase cost for some of these new technologies, some difficulties in use, and a somewhat diffuse scepticism by some members of the rehabilitation teams may limit the transfer of these new technologies from research laboratories to clinical settings.
We invite investigators to contribute original research articles as well as review articles that will stimulate the continuing efforts for clarifying the efficacy of new technological approaches for rehabilitation of people with stroke. Furthermore, we invite researches to submit manuscripts about the relearning mechanisms potentially improved by the use of these technologies. We are also interested in articles describing the modalities in which these technologies can put into action all their potential, together with the description of the characteristics of patients more responsive to these kinds of treatments. On the other hand, we would also stimulate the submission of articles in which the efficacy of conventional therapies resulted equal or even higher than that of these new technologies, in order to contribute to the debate about their efficacy. Potential topics, related to stroke rehabilitation, include, but are not limited to:
- Robotic and/or electromechanical devices for gait recovery
- Robotic and/or electromechanical devices for improving upper limb functional recovery
- Electrical stimulations (transcranial direct current stimulation, transcranial magnetic stimulation, functional electrical stimulation, etc.)
- Neuroprosthesis
- Brain neural computer interface
- Biofeedback
- Instrumented movement analysis
- Virtual reality for stroke rehabilitation
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