In this thesis, we contribute to the field of rehabilitation robotics by designing haptic-enabled
tangible robot-based activities and exploring their added value for therapy and assistance.
The research specifically focuses on the design and development of ...
Quadruped animals achieve agile and highly adaptive locomotion owing to the coordination between their legs and other body parts, such as the trunk, head, and tail, that is, body-limb coordination. This study aims to understand the sensorimotor control und ...
Background. An ischemic stroke is followed by the remapping of motor representation and extensive changes in cortical excitability involving both hemispheres. Although stimulation of the ipsilesional motor cortex, especially when paired with motor training ...
Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) disrupts the communication between the brain and spinal circuits below the lesion, leading to a plethora of neurological impairments, including the loss of motor function. At present, the only medical practices to enhance recovery ...
Dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) allows to dramatically enhance the sensitivity of magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (MAS NMR). DNP experiments usually rely on the detection of low-γ nuclei hyperpolarized from 1H with the use of cross polar ...
All human actions involve motor control. Even the simplest movement requires the coordinated recruitment of many muscles, orchestrated by neuronal circuits in the brain and the spinal cord. As a consequence, lesions affecting the central nervous system, su ...
Walking patterns of persons affected by cerebellar ataxia (CA) are characterized by wide stride-to-stride variability ascribable to: the background pathology-related sensory-motor noise; the motor redundancy, i.e., an excess of elemental degrees of freedom ...
Stroke is one of the leading causes of long-term disability. Advanced technological solutions ("neurotechnologies'') exploiting robotic systems and electrodes that stimulate the nervous system can increase the efficacy of stroke rehabilitation. Recent stud ...
Humans have a distinguishing ability for fine motor control that is subserved by a highly evolved cortico-motor neuronal network. The acquisition of a particular motor skill involves a long series of practice movements, trial and error, adjustment and refi ...
Background. Muscle synergy analysis is an approach to understand the neurophysiological mechanisms behind the hypothesized ability of the Central Nervous System (CNS) to reduce the dimensionality of muscle control. The muscle synergy approach is also used ...
A group of European experts reappraised the guidelines on the therapeutic efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) previously published in 2014 [Lefaucheur et al., Clin Neurophysiol 2014;125:2150-206]. These updated recommendations t ...
In humans, a severe spinal cord contusion interrupts the vast majority of supraspinal projections to the spinal cord below the lesion. Permanent paralysis results from the chronic failure of these spared projections to engage lumbar circuits producing leg ...
