Background/Aims:
Motor impairments, particularly in the upper limbs (UL), significantly diminish the quality of life for stroke survivors by impacting their ability to perform daily activities. This research aimed to investigate the effects of an electroencephalography-based brain-computer (EEG-BCI) intervention on UL kinematics in stroke patients.
Methods:
Two stroke subjects underwent an intensive EEG-BCI training intervention 3x/week for six weeks. The subjects were trained in six ADLs. Kinematic analysis assessing movement efficiency (total movement time - TMT) and smoothness (number of movement units – NMUs) were used as outcome assessments.
Results:
The mean NMUs performed by Subject 1’s paretic wrist was 2.6 and 1.7 at pre- and post-intervention respectively, demonstrating an improvement in the smoothness of the movement. Subject 2’s paretic wrist performed an average of 1.4 and 2.3 NMUs pre- and post-intervention respectively, demonstrating no improvement in the NMUs. For TMT, Subject 1’s paretic wrist movement time averaged 223.4s and 245.5s pre- and post-intervention respectively, demonstrating no improvement. Subject 2’s paretic wrist movement time averaged 268.8s and 213.3s pre- and post-intervention respectively, demonstrating an improvement in the TMT.
Conclusion:
Kinematic analysis is a useful measure in assessing the recovery of movement quality after poststroke interventions.