In recent years,mental practice(MP)using laterally inverted video of a subject’s non-paralyzed upper limb to improve the vividness of presented motor imagery(MI)has been shown to be effective for improving the functi...In recent years,mental practice(MP)using laterally inverted video of a subject’s non-paralyzed upper limb to improve the vividness of presented motor imagery(MI)has been shown to be effective for improving the function of a paralyzed upper limb.However,no studies have yet assessed the activity of cortical regions engaged during MI task performance using inverse video presentations and neurophysiological indicators.This study sought to investigate changes in MI vividness and hemodynamic changes in the cerebral cortex during MI performance under the following three conditions in near-infrared spectroscopy:MI-only without inverse video presentation(MI-only),MI with action observation(AO)of an inverse video presentation of another person’s hand(AO+MI(other hand)),and MI with AO of an inverse video presentation of a participant’s own hand(AO+MI(own hand)).Participants included 66 healthy right-handed adults(41 men and 25 women;mean age:26.3±4.3 years).There were 23 patients in the MI-only group(mean age:26.4±4.1 years),20 in the AO+MI(other hand)group(mean age:25.9±5.0 years),and 23 in the AO+MI(own hand)group(mean age:26.9±4.1 years).The MI task involved transferring 1 cm×1 cm blocks from one plate to another,once per second,using chopsticks held in the non-dominant hand.Based on a visual analog scale(VAS),MI vividness was significantly higher in the AO+MI(own hand)group than in the MI-only group and the AO+MI(other hand)group.A main effect of condition was revealed in terms of MI vividness,as well as regions of interest(ROIs)in certain brain areas associated with motor processing.The data suggest that inverse video presentation of a person’s own hand enhances the MI vividness and increases the activity of motor-related cortical areas during MI.This study was approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee of Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences(approval No.18121303)on January 18,2019.展开更多
ALS is a degenerative disease which affects the patients muscular activity in feet and hands, leading to a bed ridden status. The loss of independency affects their will to live, for this reason an environmental contr...ALS is a degenerative disease which affects the patients muscular activity in feet and hands, leading to a bed ridden status. The loss of independency affects their will to live, for this reason an environmental control system to handle the home appliances and make telephone calls is proposed. The system uses a tablet as a visual human interface so that the patient can select the desired appliance by selecting the corresponding item on the tablet screen. Based on the remaining patient’s abilities an input device that detects slight finger movement is proposed. In this paper three types of input devices are considered and their performance is evaluated by four ALS patients. Their comments about the usage of the devices are discussed in this work. Finally the environmental control was implemented on an ALS patient home and their impressions were satisfactory for the patients, relatives and care-givers.展开更多
The electric wheelchair is an effective machine for people with lower limb disability. The user controls the wheelchair by a joystick that helps the user to navigate the wheelchair along the desired path. Suppose the ...The electric wheelchair is an effective machine for people with lower limb disability. The user controls the wheelchair by a joystick that helps the user to navigate the wheelchair along the desired path. Suppose the user on the wheelchair wants to operate the computer for his jobs or enjoyment, it is preferable for the user to be able to operate the computer without transferring from the wheelchair to a computer desk. Of course, some computer input devices are available for wheelchairs. One reasonable idea is to use the familiar joystick on the wheelchair as a computer input device. In this paper a joystick controller is proposed, which enables the user on the wheelchair to operate the computer settled on a nearby table. The proposed joystick controller can be achieved by mounting the sensor unit on the joystick without any modification of the conventional wheelchair controller. The principle of the sensing unit is to measure the inclination angle and the direction of the joystick with an acceleration and gyro sensor. Then the sensing unit sends the control data to the computer via an infrared or wireless signal. This proposal is based on a request done by the wheelchair users.展开更多
文摘In recent years,mental practice(MP)using laterally inverted video of a subject’s non-paralyzed upper limb to improve the vividness of presented motor imagery(MI)has been shown to be effective for improving the function of a paralyzed upper limb.However,no studies have yet assessed the activity of cortical regions engaged during MI task performance using inverse video presentations and neurophysiological indicators.This study sought to investigate changes in MI vividness and hemodynamic changes in the cerebral cortex during MI performance under the following three conditions in near-infrared spectroscopy:MI-only without inverse video presentation(MI-only),MI with action observation(AO)of an inverse video presentation of another person’s hand(AO+MI(other hand)),and MI with AO of an inverse video presentation of a participant’s own hand(AO+MI(own hand)).Participants included 66 healthy right-handed adults(41 men and 25 women;mean age:26.3±4.3 years).There were 23 patients in the MI-only group(mean age:26.4±4.1 years),20 in the AO+MI(other hand)group(mean age:25.9±5.0 years),and 23 in the AO+MI(own hand)group(mean age:26.9±4.1 years).The MI task involved transferring 1 cm×1 cm blocks from one plate to another,once per second,using chopsticks held in the non-dominant hand.Based on a visual analog scale(VAS),MI vividness was significantly higher in the AO+MI(own hand)group than in the MI-only group and the AO+MI(other hand)group.A main effect of condition was revealed in terms of MI vividness,as well as regions of interest(ROIs)in certain brain areas associated with motor processing.The data suggest that inverse video presentation of a person’s own hand enhances the MI vividness and increases the activity of motor-related cortical areas during MI.This study was approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee of Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences(approval No.18121303)on January 18,2019.
文摘ALS is a degenerative disease which affects the patients muscular activity in feet and hands, leading to a bed ridden status. The loss of independency affects their will to live, for this reason an environmental control system to handle the home appliances and make telephone calls is proposed. The system uses a tablet as a visual human interface so that the patient can select the desired appliance by selecting the corresponding item on the tablet screen. Based on the remaining patient’s abilities an input device that detects slight finger movement is proposed. In this paper three types of input devices are considered and their performance is evaluated by four ALS patients. Their comments about the usage of the devices are discussed in this work. Finally the environmental control was implemented on an ALS patient home and their impressions were satisfactory for the patients, relatives and care-givers.
文摘The electric wheelchair is an effective machine for people with lower limb disability. The user controls the wheelchair by a joystick that helps the user to navigate the wheelchair along the desired path. Suppose the user on the wheelchair wants to operate the computer for his jobs or enjoyment, it is preferable for the user to be able to operate the computer without transferring from the wheelchair to a computer desk. Of course, some computer input devices are available for wheelchairs. One reasonable idea is to use the familiar joystick on the wheelchair as a computer input device. In this paper a joystick controller is proposed, which enables the user on the wheelchair to operate the computer settled on a nearby table. The proposed joystick controller can be achieved by mounting the sensor unit on the joystick without any modification of the conventional wheelchair controller. The principle of the sensing unit is to measure the inclination angle and the direction of the joystick with an acceleration and gyro sensor. Then the sensing unit sends the control data to the computer via an infrared or wireless signal. This proposal is based on a request done by the wheelchair users.
