Therapy to Improve Reaching Movement in Upper Limb
Therapy to Improve Reaching Movement in Upper Limb
Strokes are caused by a bleed in the brain and can be life threatening. One common
 consequence is upper limb impairment. This causes stroke patients to be unable to use their
 arms and upper body to do simple tasks such as reaching or grasping. Currently, people with
 stroke undergo rehabilitation, which is usually done through a physical and occupational
 (daily living skills) therapies to improve their mobility (movement) with their upper limbs.
 However, this kind of treatment has limitations and often cannot help patients regain total
 mobility. There are alternative rehabilitation treatments that use new methods and
 technologies that may be able to help patients with stroke. Neuromodulaton therapies using
 brain-computer interfaces (BCI), which connects brain signals directly to a computer, have
 the potential to help patients. This type of therapy uses assistive devices such as
 electrical stimulation (electrical shocks or waves) and robots to help restore function to
 the areas affected by stroke. The aim of this study is to evaluate and the potential benefits
 that can be achieved by using assistive devices in rehabilitation sessions with stroke
 patients.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  With response to Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)

 -  Cortical or sub-cortical stroke patients

 -  With a score in the range of 22-44 on Fugl-Meyer scale or 2-4 on the Motor Assessment
 Scale

 -  With visible cortical patterns registered by BCI

 -  Subjects that tolerate electrical stimulation and that present a motor response

 -  Subjects with cognitive ability to follow instructions and perform the indicated tasks

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  Subjects with neurological injury prior to stroke or more than two events

 -  Patients with implanted devices

 -  Patients with severe motor paralysis

 -  Patients with epilepsy

 -  Patient with vision or hearing impairment