Section: Partnerships and Cooperations

International Initiatives

NEUROPHYS4NEUROREHAB

• Title: Development of neurophysiological test setup for customizing and monitoring patient-specific non-invasive electrical stimulation-facilitated neurorehabilitation.

• International Partner (Institution - Laboratory - Researcher):

  • IITH (INDE)

• Duration: 2014 - 2016

• See also: https://team.inria.fr/nphys4nrehab/

• Stroke presents with heterogeneous patient-specific impairments in motor, sensory, tone, visual, perceptual, cognition, aphasia, apraxia, coordination, and equilibrium where the functional limitations following stroke are varied, including gait dysfunction, fall risk, limited activities of daily living, difficulties in swallowing, reduced upper extremity function, altered communication, besides others. These heterogeneous patient-specific impairments make planning of the neurorehabilitation therapy challenging. Here, it may be important to stratify the stroke survivors for restorative neurorehabilitation based on the prognosis and the ability of the stroke survivor to undergo therapy depending on their cardiovascular and neuromuscular capacity besides psychological factors such as motivation where the therapy needs to be tailored to individual health condition. The WHO International Classification of Functioning (ICF) model recommends intervention at multiple levels (e.g., impairment, activity, participation) where environment and personal factors can play an important role in resource-limited India. In fact, deconditioned chronic stroke survivor will need to recondition their cardiovascular endurance, metabolic fitness, and muscle conditions with a gradual increase in the intensity (number of hours per day) and frequency (number of days per week) of therapy, providing a higher level as they improve their function. Towards that overarching goal in a low-resource setting, we propose development of neurophysiological screening and monitoring tools using low-cost sensors.

• Technology artificial and natural control assisted by electrical stimulation in functional transfers for subjects with disabilities after spinal cord injury

  Inria principal investigator: Christine Azevedo Coste

  International partner: Faculty of Ceilandia/ University of Brasilia - Emerson Fachin Martins, leader of the NTAAI-team. Nucleus of Assistive Technology, Accessibility and Innovation.

  CAPES, Scholarship: BEX 3160/13-0 (Montpellier/France - December 2013 - February 2015) CAPES, Appel: 88881.068134/2014-01 (2015 - 2017)

  Around 90 million people acquired disabilities from Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) worldwide. The options available to stand up individuals with SCI without orthotics devices do not provide a functional upright position. The wheelchairs and seats to verticalize do not ensure an active participation based in a technology-human interaction. Moreover, the Verticalization devices are rarely used outside. The present international collaboration initiates a series of collaborations between the DEMAR-team and the NTAAI-team based on academic mobility of students and researchers. The general aim of this project is investigated technologies based in the functional electrical stimulation to promote functional transfers of the individuals with disabilities after SCI.