EEG - triggered neuromuscular stimulation therapy for hemiplegia of the hand due to chronic stroke

Loss of dexterous hand function is one of the common effects of stroke. Repetitive, rehabilitative training with functionally challenging tasks have been shown to be effective in aiding hand function recovery in both acute and chronic stroke patients. Such therapeutic strategies are thought to help motor function recovery by inducing activitydependent cortical reorganization. Our goal is to detect hand movement intentions from the electroencephalogram (EEG) and used it to trigger electrical stimulation of the affected hand. Preliminary results suggest that EEGs can provide a reliable control signal to trigger electrical stimulation of the hand even after stroke. Movement intention was detected with a mean error rate of 18 ± 5%.