Robot-assisted proprioceptive and motor training in patients with Parkinson's Disease.

• Applicant: Dr. Carmen Krewer
• Subject Area: Clinical Neurology; Neurosurgery and Neuroradiology
• Term: from 2014 to 2015
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 269865459

Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder affecting the basal ganglia and the brain stem. Patients with PD suffer from sensory and motor impairments of both, upper and lower extremities, which are mainly based on deficits in the processing and integration of somatosensory information. Evidence for therapeutic interventions, however, mainly focuses on walking function, balance and mobility or falls, while there is lack of evidence for interventions addressing the proprioception and motor function of the upper extremities, specifically of the wrist. The present study is aiming on these aspects. Using the therapeutic device wristbot for treatment and assessment of proprioception and motor function of the wrist, kinematic parameters will be collected. The wristbot is a controller-based robot-driven device with a torque control system that is integrated with a virtual reality environment in order to provide a visual feedback to the user while completing reaching tasks. In addition to the improvements in proprioception and motor function, a generalisation effect on hand writing performance is to be expected. The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of the wristbot therapy in PD patients to enhance 1) the proprioceptive function of the wrist, 2) the motor function of the wrist, and 3) the patients writing performance.

• DFG Programme: Research Fellowships
• International Connection: USA
• Host: Professor Dr. Jürgen Konczak