EEG biomarkers of engagement in robotic-assisted gait training

• Grant number: 22/14788-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: May 01, 2023
• End date: October 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics
• Principal Investigator: Gabriela Castellano
• Grantee: Bruna Mezzari Carlos
• Supervisor: Elizabeth Condliffe
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física Gleb Wataghin (IFGW). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Calgary, Canada
• Associated to the scholarship: 20/16571-0 - Investigation of brain changes in neurological patients undergoing different rehabilitation treatments, BP.DR

Abstract

Robotic-assisted gait training (RAGT) devices are promising tools for the rehabilitation of patients with gait disorders. These devices can help patients to recover movements and also reduce the risk of developing secondary health conditions caused by motor impairment. As a new technology, the use of RAGT is still under investigation and clinical measures as well as physiological measures such as electroencephalography (EEG) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) can help in the assessment of RAGT effects on patients. Using such measures is of special relevance with patients who cannot communicate, as the analysis of neurological signals can be a way to identify their level of engagement during therapy. In this context, this work proposes to find EEG biomarkers that could represent the engagement of patients during RAGT. (AU)