BRIGE: Understanding the generalization of treadmill-assisted motor learning for the rehabilitation of gait after stroke

技术描述：康复机器人的一个主要问题是，在机器人和跑步机等设备上获得的运动学习是高度特异性的，并不能改善患者的情况。运动期间？现实生活中吗?的情况。如何操纵机器人辅助运动学习的泛化？这对工程师来说是一个有趣的挑战，对临床医生来说也是一个重要的问题。为了理解机器人辅助运动学习对自然运动的不良转移，PI建议调查设备改变了什么以及如何操纵它。这将通过传统上用于图像处理的分解分析的新应用来完成。PI特别提出，当受试者在分离带跑步机上学习一种新的步行模式时，中风后肌肉活动的变化将被量化（研究目标1）。这台跑步机有两条皮带，可以以不同的速度移动，以创造新的环境条件和诱导运动学习。然后，PI将识别在分叉带跑步机上学习到的肌肉激活模式的哪些方面可以推广到自然步行中，以及是否可以操纵分叉带跑步机上的获取阶段以增加泛化效果（研究目标2）。预期的结果将推进现有的机制知识，可用于中风后受试者改变其异常肌肉活动，并将这些变化推广到自然行走。更广泛的意义和重要性：这一提议的潜在好处是促进我们对规则的了解。在完整和中风后的人体运动系统中进行运动适应和推广。这应该让我们了解如何使用技术来训练个人，并最终恢复他们的行走和运动控制。参与拟议研究的受试者的风险是最小的，而对社会的好处可能是巨大的。根据疾病控制和预防中心的数据，每年有近65万中风后幸存者，这使得中风成为美国长期残疾的主要原因。这一建议有可能帮助中风后幸存者开发有效和高效的康复治疗。这将通过改善患者的行动和减少对个人和社会造成重大经济负担的医疗保健费用，直接使患者受益。扩大工程界代表性不足群体的参与：重要的是，PI将利用本提案中的研究目标作为手段，让工程界代表性不足群体的学生解决真正的康复需求（教育目标1），让他们参与应用工程工具来告知物理康复领域的研究（教育目标2），并为他们继续研究生教育做好准备（教育目标3）。这些教育目标将通过PI开发的皮特博士预科研究经验（PREP）项目来实现。为了实施她的计划，PI将从西班牙裔大学招募、指导和准备本科生攻读高级学位。她还将把自己的研究活动与“现在就投资”（INVESTING NOW）项目结合起来，该项目旨在帮助高中学生（89%来自少数族裔，47%来自女性）攻读工程学位，这些学生大多来自工程领域代表性不足的群体。总的来说，PI？美国的教育目标将使来自工程领域代表性不足群体的学生准备好攻读高级学位，这反过来将重新定义科学和工程领域代表性不足群体的教育和专业发展的界限。这项研究是由工程教育和中心部的工程项目扩大参与计划的一部分，即工程项目扩大参与研究启动基金资助的。

Technical description:A major issue in rehabilitation robotics is the fact that motor learning acquired on devices like robots and treadmills is highly specific and does not improve patients? movements during ?real life? situations. How to manipulate the generalization of robotic-assisted motor learning? This is an interesting challenge for engineers and an important question for clinicians. To understand the poor transfer of robotic-assisted motor learning to natural movements the PI proposes to investigate what the device changes and how to manipulate it. This will be done though a novel application of factorization analyses that are conventionally used for image processing. The PI specifically proposes to quantify changes in muscle activity post-stroke when subjects learn a new walking pattern on a split-belt treadmill (research objective 1). This treadmill has two belts that can move at different speeds to create novel environmental conditions and induced motor learning. Then, the PI will identify what aspects of the muscle activation patterns learned on the split-belt treadmill generalize to natural walking, and whether the acquisition phase on the split-belt treadmill can be manipulated to increase the generalization effects (research objective 2). Anticipated results will advance the current knowledge of mechanisms available to post-stroke subjects for changing their aberrant muscle activity and the generalization of those changes to natural walking. Broader significance and importance:The potential benefit of this proposal is to advance our knowledge of the ?rules? for motor adaptation and generalization in the intact and post-stroke human motor system. This should allow us to understand how to use technology to train individuals, and ultimately rehabilitate their walking and movement control in general. The risks to the subjects participating in the proposed studies are minimal, and the benefit to society could be substantial. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention there are nearly 650,000 post-stroke survivors every year, making stroke the leading cause for long-term disability in the United States. This proposal has the potential to help develop effective and efficient rehabilitation treatments for post-stroke survivors. This would directly benefit patients by improving their movements and reducing their medical care costs, which impose a substantial economic burden to the individuals and society. Broadening participation of underrepresented groups in engineering:Importantly, the PI will use the research objectives in this proposal as means to expose students from underrepresented groups in engineering to solve real rehabilitation needs (educational objective 1), engage them in research that applies engineering tools to inform the field of physical rehabilitation (educational objective 2), and prepare them to continue graduate education (educational objective 3). These educational objectives will be fulfilled through the Pre-PhD Research Experience at Pitt (PREP) program developed by the PI. To implement her program the PI will recruit, mentor, and prepare undergraduate students from Hispanic serving Universities to pursue advanced degrees. She will also incorporate her research activities with the program INVESTING NOW, which prepares high schools students (89% from minority groups and 47% females) mostly from underrepresented groups in engineering to pursue engineering degrees. In sum, the PI?s educational objectives will prepare students from underrepresented groups in engineering to pursue advanced degrees, which will in turn redefine the boundaries of education and professional development available to underrepresented groups in science and engineering.This research has been funded through the Broadening Participation Research Initiation Grants in Engineering solicitation, which is part of the Broadening Participation in Engineering Program of the Engineering Education and Centers Division.