The identification of interacting brain networks during robot-assisted training with multimodal stimulation

Abstract

Objective: Robot-assisted rehabilitation training is an effective way to assist rehabilitation therapy. So far, various robotic devices have been developed for automatic training of central nervous system following injury. Multimodal stimulation such as visual and auditory stimulus and even virtual reality (VR) technology were usually introduced in these robotic devices to improve the effect of rehabilitation training. This may need to be explained from a neurological perspective, but there are few relevant studies. Approach: In this study, ten participants performed right arm rehabilitation training tasks using an upper limb rehabilitation robotic device. The tasks were completed under four different feedback conditions including multiple combinations of visual and auditory components: auditory feedback (AF); visual feedback (VF); visual and auditory feedback (VAF); non-feedback (NonF). The functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) devices record blood oxygen signals in bilateral motor, visual and auditory areas. Using hemoglobin concentration as an indicator of cortical activation, the effective connectivity of these regions was then calculated through Granger causality. Main results: We found that overall stronger activation and effective connectivity between related brain regions were associated with VAF. When participants completed the training task without visual and auditory feedback, the trends in activation and connectivity were diminished. Significance: This study revealed cerebral cortex activation and interacting networks of brain regions in robot-assisted rehabilitation training with multimodal stimulation, which is expected to provide indicators for further evaluation of the effect of rehabilitation training, and promote further exploration of the interaction network in the brain during a variety of external stimuli, and to explore the best sensory combination.

Bibliometric Analysis of Granger Causality Studies

“…The second most cited document “Elements of Causal Inference: Foundations and Learning Algorithms” by Peters et al [ 93 ] studied the concept of causality and related problems. The third most cited paper by Friston [ 75 ] reviewed the development and practice of connectivity analyses in neuroimaging, functional connectivity, causal modelling, connectomics, and multivariate analyses of distributed patterns of brain responses. Sridharan et al [ 94 ] used functional magnetic resonance imaging to study the mechanisms underlying the switching of brain networks in experiments.…”

“…Granger causality can also differentiate between direct and indirect influences. Wang et al [ 75 ] studied the interacting brain networks when robot-assisted training and simulation were used. Granger causality was used to study the effective connectivity of the brain networks when while performing rehabilitation training tasks with a robotic device under various feedback conditions.…”

Robotic-Assisted Ankle Rehabilitation Utilizing Electrical Stimulation and Virtual Reality Training Paradigms

“…Ankle injuries, like sprains, fractures, and tendon tears, can make it hard to do these things, causing pain, limited range of motion, and problems with daily life. Passive methods like manual treatment, therapeutic exercises, and gait training are often used in traditional ways to treat ankle injuries [1]. These methods can help tissues heal and basic functions are restored, but they might not be as intense, specific, or personalized as what is needed for the best recovery.…”

Cognitive and motor cortex activation during robot-assisted multi-sensory interactive motor rehabilitation training: An fNIRS based pilot study

“…Currently, most studies compare several single-feedback stimuli such as visual and auditory stimuli. Wang et al (2022) studied the effect of visual and auditory feedback based on the upper limb rehabilitation system on cortical activation. However, haptic feedback was not involved in this study.…”