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  4. Adaptive Control of Movement for Neuromuscular Stimulation-Assisted Therapy in a Rodent Model

Adaptive Control of Movement for Neuromuscular Stimulation-Assisted Therapy in a Rodent Model

IEEE Trans Biomed Eng, 2009 · DOI: 10.1109/TBME.2008.2008193 · Published: February 1, 2009

Biomedical

Simple Explanation

This study focuses on improving movement therapy after spinal cord or brain injury using electrical stimulation. The goal is to use the body's ability to adapt (activity-dependent plasticity) to regain movement. By electrically stimulating paralyzed muscles, the therapy could be improved. To test this, researchers developed a system for rodents that uses electrical stimulation to help with leg movement. The system uses an adaptive control system (PG/PS) to precisely control the stimulation of muscles that work in opposition (agonist/antagonist). The study showed that the adaptive control system could accurately control hip movements in rodents during long sessions, especially when breaks were included to reduce muscle fatigue. This suggests the system could be useful for efficient movement therapy.

Study Duration
Not specified
Participants
Six hindlimbs from four intact, adult, female Long–Evans rats
Evidence Level
Not specified

Key Findings

  • 1
    The adaptive PG/PS control system provided excellent movement tracking with less than 10% error in 100-cycle movement trials, although stimulation levels increased to counteract muscle fatigue.
  • 2
    Trials with intermittent movement (100 sets of five-cycle bouts with 20-second rests) also showed excellent performance (less than 8% error) and reduced muscle fatigue.
  • 3
    The adaptive PG/PS system can utilize an agonist/antagonist pair of muscles to control cyclic movements.

Research Summary

This study implemented an adaptive control system in a rodent model for neuromotor therapy to address the shortcomings of previous open-loop control systems, which were unable to generate accurate movements and adjust for muscle fatigue. The PG/PS control system demonstrated the ability to use agonist/antagonist muscle activation to control cyclic hip movements and showed its effectiveness in an intermittent movement paradigm, mimicking potential clinical therapy sessions. The study found that the adaptive PG/PS control system could accurately track desired hip movement patterns, maintain consistent performance during intermittent movement, and potentially enable long and effective therapy sessions.

Practical Implications

Enhanced Neuromotor Therapy

The adaptive PG/PS system may be well suited for generating cyclic joint movements using neuromuscular electrical stimulation therapy over lengthy sessions.

Clinical Translation Potential

The ability to automatically customize stimulation parameters for an individual and automatically adjust these parameters to account for fatigue. The practical implication of this demonstration is that in the research laboratory or the clinic, the movement therapy can readily be performed on an individual in a manner that does not require special training or experience by the operator.

Research Tool for Neurotrauma Studies

The ability of the adaptive PG/PS system to use implanted electrodes to control movements in the rodent model, which makes it a potentially useful tool in animal studies designed to investigate the mechanisms that underlie electrical stimulation-assisted neuromotor therapy.

Study Limitations

  • 1
    The need for sensors to provide feedback to the control system can add complexity.
  • 2
    The study focused on the hip joint; activating muscles at the knee and ankle for coordinated limb control requires further investigation.
  • 3
    The stimulated hindlimb muscles in the rat are composed mainly of fast twitch (fast fatigable) fibers.

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