Neural Networks and Paraplegia
edited
... The comparison of the models showed that there are striking similarities among the voluntary c…
...
The comparison of the models showed that there are striking similarities among the voluntary controls adopted by different subjects.
Each subject develops his/her own "personal strategy" to control the arm forces, which is consistent from trial to trial.
(Kamnik et al. 2005)
The central nervous system contains internal models that represent movements.
Forward models are predictions between motor commands and the resulting changes in the sensorimotor system.
Study by Hotz-Boendermaker et al., 2008:
Used fMRI to look at activation patterns during motor imagery
When asked to mentally move their paralyzed feet, the sensorimotor and imagery cortices were activiated - same activation in healthy people.
Also, when asked to attempt to move their paralyzed foot, the same network was stimulated compared to when healthy participants actually moved their paralyzed foot.
-Paraplegics have the potential to initiate and control foot movements
Stories
edited
... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm0hzV7WkbY
^Avatar movie trailer featuring Sully, a paraplegi…
...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm0hzV7WkbY
^Avatar movie trailer featuring Sully, a paraplegic
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/07/22/earlyshow/leisure/gamesgadgetsgizmos/main5180169.shtml
CBS) A new device is changing the lives of thousands of Americans who have lost the ability to walk.
**The WalkAide** is about the size of an iPod and uses technology similar to what makes a **Wii videogame** work. It sends electrical impulses to the nerves and muscles of the lower leg, enabling its user to pick up hir or her foot. The WalkAide can restore mobility for people with multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy and traumatic brain injuries, according to "Early Show" correspondent Dr. Debbye Turner Bell.
...
How did her family react to her being on a snowboard again?
"They were very apprehensive," she told Smith. "They had watched the last eight years, they watched me struggle to get back. And they couldn't understand why I wanted to risk this, but I needed it. I needed to get back on a board to go forward."
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5179449n&tag=related;photovideo
Stories
edited
... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm0hzV7WkbY
^Avatar movie trailer featuring Sully, a paraplegi…
...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm0hzV7WkbY
^Avatar movie trailer featuring Sully, a paraplegic
CBS) A new device is changing the lives of thousands of Americans who have lost the ability to walk.
**The WalkAide** is about the size of an iPod and uses technology similar to what makes a **Wii videogame** work. It sends electrical impulses to the nerves and muscles of the lower leg, enabling its user to pick up hir or her foot. The WalkAide can restore mobility for people with multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy and traumatic brain injuries, according to "Early Show" correspondent Dr. Debbye Turner Bell.
She said Wednesday the WalkAide costs about $5,000 for people who pay out-of-pocket. But, Bell says, this year, Medicare has started covering the cost for people with spinal cord injuryies and some private insurance is also covering the device on a case-by-case basis.
Tina Mann, who was told she would never walk again after a snowboarding accident at age 16, is walking -- with a WalkAide.
Mann's injury to her spinal cord paralyzed her from the waist down, and even with extensive therapy, she could never walk without assistance.
She told Bell, "I still couldn't pick my foot up, no matter what I tried."
However, with the WalkAide, the Orlando, Fla. woman is now able to walk whenever she wants. She told Bell she takes a walk sometimes just because she can.
However, walking wasn't enough for Mann. She wanted to face her fear of getting on a snowboard again -- and she did -- with the WalkAide lending a hand.
"This is my miracle in a box," Mann said. "This gave me my life. And I'm just excited to see how far I can truly go. ...My possibilities are truly endless."
Mann told "Early Show" co-anchor Harry Smith her life has changed dramatically since she started using the Walkaide.
"It gave me back all of my muscle strength. This is now me walking," she said. "I don't have to rely on metal, on plastic, on joints, on anything to help me. My muscles are doing the work."
Mann has taken part in a rock-climbing competition, and regularly does strength training.
How did her family react to her being on a snowboard again?
"They were very apprehensive," she told Smith. "They had watched the last eight years, they watched me struggle to get back. And they couldn't understand why I wanted to risk this, but I needed it. I needed to get back on a board to go forward."
http://videos.disabled-world.com/video/89/paraplegic-instructional-driving
^Paraplegic instructional driving video
http://www.ubergizmo.com/15/archives/2008/07/exoskeleton_helps_paraplegic_walk_video.html
^ReWalk - an exoskeleton that helps paraplegics regain mobility
Neural Networks and Paraplegia
edited
For individuals with paraplegia, standing up requires activation of paralyzed leg muscles by an ar…
For individuals with paraplegia, standing up requires activation of paralyzed leg muscles by an artificial functional electrical stimulation (FES) controller and voluntary control of arm forces by the individual.
Artificial neural network models were developed to predict voluntary arm forces from measured angular positions of the ankle, knee, and hip joints during FES-assisted standing up in paraplegia.
Data were collected from eight paraplegic subjects in repeated standing-up trials.
The predictions of the models closely followed both the training and validation data, showing good accuracy and generalization.
The comparison of the models showed that there are striking similarities among the voluntary controls adopted by different subjects.
Each subject develops his/her own "personal strategy" to control the arm forces, which is consistent from trial to trial.
