The importance of visuo-motor coordination in upper limb rehabilitation after ischemic stroke by robotic therapy

Useless.  Describes a problem but offers NO SOLUTION. This is where a great stroke leader would get involved, making sure all stroke research progresses toward 100% recovery. But we have none, you as stroke survivors will continue to be screwed, along with your children and grandchildren.

The importance of visuo-motor coordination in upper limb rehabilitation after ischemic stroke by robotic therapy

Angelo Bulboaca1,2, Ioana Stanescu1,2, Gabriela Dogaru 1,2, Paul-Mihai Boarescu1, Adriana Elena Bulboaca1,2Corresponding author: Paul-Mihai Boarescu1, E-mail: paul.boarescu@gmail.com, 
1. "Iuliu-Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
2. Clinical Rehabilitation Hospital, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Abstract

Stroke is an acute hypoperfusion of cerebral parenchyma that most often leads to outstanding motor deficits that can last for the rest of the patient’s life. The purpose of the neurorehabilitation process is to limit, as far is possible for the motor deficits and to bring the patient to an independent life. A modern method consists in robotic neurorehabilitation which is more and more used, associated with functional electrical stimulation (FES). At the lower limb, the use of robotic rehabilitation associated with FES is already considered a success due to relatively stereotypical movements of the lower limb. In opposition, the upper limb is more difficult to rehabilitate due to its more complex movements. Therefore, eye-hand coordination (EHC) constitutes an important factor that is conditioning the rehabilitation progress. The eye-hand coordination can be brutally disturbed by stroke with critical consequences on motor-executive component. The EHC development depends on the interaction between a feedback complex and the prediction of the upper limb motility in the space, and requires the association between visual system, oculomotor system and hand motor system. We analyzed the stroke impact on this sensorial-motor functional integration and looked for a possible solution for the interruption of coordination between eyes and the movements of the superior limb. We consider that our study can contribute to a better understanding and to a faster rehabilitation of the motor deficit in the upper limb after stroke.