FES Gaming: A Gamified Neurostimulation Platform for Post-Stroke Neuromotor Assessment and Training

Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability. Impaired control of the distal paretic leg muscles is a persistent neuromotor deficit that significantly limits mobility and independence in individuals post-stroke. Most gait rehabilitation takes place in clinical settings following discharge, and while patients are encouraged to continue exercise outside of clinical therapy to reinforce recovery under the “use it or lose it” and “use it and improve it” principles, sustaining independent home-based practice is highly challenging. Such activities are usually limited by minimal clinical guidance, low motivation, and increased risk of falls, despite patients spending much of their time at home. Even when exercise occurs, post-stroke patients typically have limited means to track impairment and recovery progress, as most assessments are restricted to specialized biomechanics laboratories or select clinics requiring costly equipment and professional expertise. To bridge these gaps, this project aims to develop and evaluate the Empowering Recovery at Home (ERH) platform, a home-based assessment and intervention platform that harnesses technological advances by our laboratory to maximize the diagnostic and treatment capabilities of a single Inertial measurement unit (IMU), enabling: (1) dynamic control of gamified, progressive, goal-directed movement tasks (ERH Task), in which ankle joint movements control a cursor up-down to reach on-screen targets both for assessment and training; (2) bi-directional neurostimulation of distal paretic leg muscles (i.e., dorsiflexors and plantarflexors) during movement training; and (3) algorithm-driven assessment of impairments and rehabilitation progress over time.

Project Lead

Funding

American Heart Association (AHA) Predoctoral Fellowship (26PRE1559300)

Publications

Feasibility of a Gamified Neurostimulation Platform for Retraining Neuromotor Control After Stroke
Stroke.
(see link)