A study from the University of Adelaide found that an innovative treatment could help restore more motor capacity to stroke survivors' hands, with patients experiencing fewer arm and hand impairments after treatment. As part of the study, about a dozen people with chronic stroke in Southern Australia received a new personalized brain-computer interface therapy, the results of which were published in PNAS Nexus.

Technical introduction

Mathias Baumert, Senior Co-Author Associate Professor in the School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Adelaide, said, "Our findings show that after 18 treatments with this therapy, there is a significant improvement in hand motor performance and a significant reduction in clinical impairment in the arm and hand after stroke. ”

The patient is using RehabSwift's equipment for rehabilitation

The results showed that personalized BCI therapy can help reconnect and restore brain neural pathways that have been damaged by stroke.

RehabSwift therapy has been approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration and includes the wearing of hats and hand exoskeletons. The hat captures the brain waves generated when the patient wants to move their hand, and a computer algorithm converts these brain waves into hand exoskeleton instructions worn by the patient, causing the patient's hand and fingers to move physically. This process can be personalized to the patient's individual neurocognitive profile.

About stroke disease

One in four people worldwide will have a stroke in their lifetime. Stroke is one of the biggest killers of diseases in Australia, a life-threatening condition that occurs when a blood clot or blood vessel ruptures and disrupts blood flow to the brain. This causes brain cells to die quickly, which can further lead to brain damage, disability, or death.

Scholars' evaluation

Senior co-author Professor Derek Abbott, an Honorary Research Fellow in the School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Adelaide, also said, "Strokes often result in severe movement impairments, and almost half of survivors remain chronically disabled despite conventional treatment. Although this is a small study, it shows that the new treatment has the potential to change the future lives of survivors. ”

RehabSwift is an Adelaide-based medtech company based in ThincLab that was formed by Sam Darvishi's research and development during his PhD studies at the University of Adelaide. The investigators hope to expand this study to a larger patient population, with the aim of examining the long-term effects of the treatment to determine if it can be used as a standard treatment.

Anupam Datta Gupta, an associate professor at the University of Adelaide and a physician specialising in rehabilitation medicine and co-author of the study, said, "We assessed patients for reaction time, sensorimotor impairments, upper limb functional performance, pinch and grip strength, and individualised goals, and 75% of patients reported significant improvements in their upper limb movements. More encouragingly, these positive effects persisted for at least four weeks after treatment. However, this also needs to be further investigated through later randomized controlled trials. ”

Finally, Assoc. Prof. Baumert said, "The results of this study are clinically meaningful and have made a significant difference in the lives and meanings of patients. As research continues, this innovative therapy will become one of the most important tools in the rehabilitation system and improve the lives of stroke survivors, while speeding up and enhancing their recovery process. ”

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