Shaping neuroplasticity by using powered exoskeletons in patients with stroke: a randomized clinical trial.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:The use of neurorobotic devices may improve gait recovery by entraining specific brain plasticity mechanisms, which may be a key issue for successful rehabilitation using such approach. We assessed whether the wearable exoskeleton, Ekso™, could get higher gait performance than conventional overground gait training (OGT) in patients with hemiparesis due to stroke in a chronic phase, and foster the recovery of specific brain plasticity mechanisms. METHODS:We enrolled forty patients in a prospective, pre-post, randomized clinical study. Twenty patients underwent Ekso™ gait training (EGT) (45-min/session, five times/week), in addition to overground gait therapy, whilst 20 patients practiced an OGT of the same duration. All individuals were evaluated about gait performance (10 m walking test), gait cycle, muscle activation pattern (by recording surface electromyography from lower limb muscles), frontoparietal effective connectivity (FPEC) by using EEG, cortico-spinal excitability (CSE), and sensory-motor integration (SMI) from both primary motor areas by using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation paradigm before and after the gait training. RESULTS:A significant effect size was found in the EGT-induced improvement in the 10 m walking test (d?=?0.9, p?

SUBMITTER: Calabro RS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5918557 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature