Effect of visual distraction and auditory feedback on patient effort during robot-assisted movement training after stroke

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Practicing arm and gait movements with robotic assistance after neurologic injury can help patients improve their movement ability, but patients sometimes reduce their effort during training in response to the assistance. Reduced eff...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Reinkensmeyer David J, Rosati Giulio, Milot Marie-Helene, Secoli Riccardo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2011-04-01
Series:Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation
Online Access:http://www.jneuroengrehab.com/content/8/1/21
_version_ 1811299026650267648
author Reinkensmeyer David J
Rosati Giulio
Milot Marie-Helene
Secoli Riccardo
author_facet Reinkensmeyer David J
Rosati Giulio
Milot Marie-Helene
Secoli Riccardo
author_sort Reinkensmeyer David J
collection DOAJ
description <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Practicing arm and gait movements with robotic assistance after neurologic injury can help patients improve their movement ability, but patients sometimes reduce their effort during training in response to the assistance. Reduced effort has been hypothesized to diminish clinical outcomes of robotic training. To better understand patient slacking, we studied the role of visual distraction and auditory feedback in modulating patient effort during a common robot-assisted tracking task.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Fourteen participants with chronic left hemiparesis from stroke, five control participants with chronic right hemiparesis and fourteen non-impaired healthy control participants, tracked a visual target with their arms while receiving adaptive assistance from a robotic arm exoskeleton. We compared four practice conditions: the baseline tracking task alone; tracking while also performing a visual distracter task; tracking with the visual distracter and sound feedback; and tracking with sound feedback. For the distracter task, symbols were randomly displayed in the corners of the computer screen, and the participants were instructed to click a mouse button when a target symbol appeared. The sound feedback consisted of a repeating beep, with the frequency of repetition made to increase with increasing tracking error.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Participants with stroke halved their effort and doubled their tracking error when performing the visual distracter task with their left hemiparetic arm. With sound feedback, however, these participants increased their effort and decreased their tracking error close to their baseline levels, while also performing the distracter task successfully. These effects were significantly smaller for the participants who used their non-paretic arm and for the participants without stroke.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Visual distraction decreased participants effort during a standard robot-assisted movement training task. This effect was greater for the hemiparetic arm, suggesting that the increased demands associated with controlling an affected arm make the motor system more prone to slack when distracted. Providing an alternate sensory channel for feedback, i.e., auditory feedback of tracking error, enabled the participants to simultaneously perform the tracking task and distracter task effectively. Thus, incorporating real-time auditory feedback of performance errors might improve clinical outcomes of robotic therapy systems.</p>
first_indexed 2024-04-13T06:29:06Z
format Article
id doaj.art-3d40807564104a79b0eaa705f102282c
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 1743-0003
language English
last_indexed 2024-04-13T06:29:06Z
publishDate 2011-04-01
publisher BMC
record_format Article
series Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation
spelling doaj.art-3d40807564104a79b0eaa705f102282c2022-12-22T02:58:14ZengBMCJournal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation1743-00032011-04-01812110.1186/1743-0003-8-21Effect of visual distraction and auditory feedback on patient effort during robot-assisted movement training after strokeReinkensmeyer David JRosati GiulioMilot Marie-HeleneSecoli Riccardo<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Practicing arm and gait movements with robotic assistance after neurologic injury can help patients improve their movement ability, but patients sometimes reduce their effort during training in response to the assistance. Reduced effort has been hypothesized to diminish clinical outcomes of robotic training. To better understand patient slacking, we studied the role of visual distraction and auditory feedback in modulating patient effort during a common robot-assisted tracking task.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Fourteen participants with chronic left hemiparesis from stroke, five control participants with chronic right hemiparesis and fourteen non-impaired healthy control participants, tracked a visual target with their arms while receiving adaptive assistance from a robotic arm exoskeleton. We compared four practice conditions: the baseline tracking task alone; tracking while also performing a visual distracter task; tracking with the visual distracter and sound feedback; and tracking with sound feedback. For the distracter task, symbols were randomly displayed in the corners of the computer screen, and the participants were instructed to click a mouse button when a target symbol appeared. The sound feedback consisted of a repeating beep, with the frequency of repetition made to increase with increasing tracking error.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Participants with stroke halved their effort and doubled their tracking error when performing the visual distracter task with their left hemiparetic arm. With sound feedback, however, these participants increased their effort and decreased their tracking error close to their baseline levels, while also performing the distracter task successfully. These effects were significantly smaller for the participants who used their non-paretic arm and for the participants without stroke.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Visual distraction decreased participants effort during a standard robot-assisted movement training task. This effect was greater for the hemiparetic arm, suggesting that the increased demands associated with controlling an affected arm make the motor system more prone to slack when distracted. Providing an alternate sensory channel for feedback, i.e., auditory feedback of tracking error, enabled the participants to simultaneously perform the tracking task and distracter task effectively. Thus, incorporating real-time auditory feedback of performance errors might improve clinical outcomes of robotic therapy systems.</p>http://www.jneuroengrehab.com/content/8/1/21
spellingShingle Reinkensmeyer David J
Rosati Giulio
Milot Marie-Helene
Secoli Riccardo
Effect of visual distraction and auditory feedback on patient effort during robot-assisted movement training after stroke
Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation
title Effect of visual distraction and auditory feedback on patient effort during robot-assisted movement training after stroke
title_full Effect of visual distraction and auditory feedback on patient effort during robot-assisted movement training after stroke
title_fullStr Effect of visual distraction and auditory feedback on patient effort during robot-assisted movement training after stroke
title_full_unstemmed Effect of visual distraction and auditory feedback on patient effort during robot-assisted movement training after stroke
title_short Effect of visual distraction and auditory feedback on patient effort during robot-assisted movement training after stroke
title_sort effect of visual distraction and auditory feedback on patient effort during robot assisted movement training after stroke
url http://www.jneuroengrehab.com/content/8/1/21
work_keys_str_mv AT reinkensmeyerdavidj effectofvisualdistractionandauditoryfeedbackonpatienteffortduringrobotassistedmovementtrainingafterstroke
AT rosatigiulio effectofvisualdistractionandauditoryfeedbackonpatienteffortduringrobotassistedmovementtrainingafterstroke
AT milotmariehelene effectofvisualdistractionandauditoryfeedbackonpatienteffortduringrobotassistedmovementtrainingafterstroke
AT secoliriccardo effectofvisualdistractionandauditoryfeedbackonpatienteffortduringrobotassistedmovementtrainingafterstroke