Robotic mirror therapy (MT), which allows movement of the affected limb, is proposed as a more effective method than conventional MT (CMT). To improve the rehabilitation effectiveness of post-stroke patients, we developed a sensory stimulation-based continuous passive motion (CPM)-MT system with two different operating protocols, that is, asynchronous and synchronous modes. To evaluate their effectiveness, we measured brain activation through relative and absolute power spectral density (PSD) changes of electroencephalogram (EEG) mu rhythm in three cases with CMT and CPM-MT with asynchronous and synchronous modes. We also monitored changes in muscle fatigue, which is one of the negative effects of the CPM device, based on median power frequency (MPF) and root mean square (RMS). Relative PSD was most suppressed when subjects used the CPM-MT system under synchronous control: 22.11%, 15.31%, and 16.48% on Cz, C3, and C4, respectively. The absolute average changes in MPF and RMS were 1.59% and 9.78%, respectively, with CPM-MT. Synchronous mode CPM-MT is the most effective method for brain activation, and muscle fatigue caused by the CPM-MT system was negligible. This study suggests the more effective combination rehabilitation system for MT by utilizing CPM and magnetic-based MT task to add action execution and sensory stimulation compared with CMT. method uses voluntary exercise to improve a patient's motivation to rehabilitate [4] and prevents the deterioration of the motor ability of the lesioned brain hemisphere using a visual illusion that bilateral movement has been accomplished [5,6]. However, a major drawback of conventional MT (CMT) is that the paralyzed arm does not move at all during the treatment. Thus, muscle atrophy can be aggravated and the elbow can become stiff. Spasticity and hypertonus are likely to limit the functional use of the paralyzed limb. Additionally, muscle hyperexcitability may lead to secondary complications including contracture, pain, and reduced range of motion. In the long term, these complications may also result in structural changes in connective tissues and muscle fibers [7,8]. In such situations, patients lose their motivation to rehabilitate. In addition, the prevalence of strokes increases in an aging society, and the public healthcare burden of patients who have suffered a stroke increases. The current emphasis on cost reduction in medical services has resulted in reducing the duration of in-patient rehabilitation of post-stroke patients. This results in patients terminating treatment with incomplete recovery. These situations have triggered research on better and cost-efficient methods of treatment for post-stroke patients.To overcome the current limitations of CMT methods, a robotic system that actually moves the affected limb has recently been proposed as an emerging rehabilitative method [9,10]. However, building a new system for only one rehabilitation method, like MT, is difficult to introduce in many hospitals owing to budget and utilization issues. In addition, intro...

No abstract

No abstract