Grant: Alliance Grants

An estimated 50,000 new cases of stroke occur in Canada each year, resulting in death or severe disability, including physical. At present, rehabilitation of stroke-related physical disabilities focuses mainly on mobility rehabilitation. However, impairments related to proprioception, the ability to perceive body movement in the absence of vision, are often overlooked in rehabilitation. In recent years, musculo-tendinous vibration (MTV) has been used as a safe and effective stimulation device to study proprioception. Recent studies have shown that MTV is a promising system for aiding stroke rehabilitation. However, the mechanisms of MTV-induced illusions are still unclear. Indeed, the study of motion perception induced by MTV has always been a challenge, since perception is by nature subjective. And it still hinders the gathering of knowledge on proprioception and the current clinical use of MTV. The main aim of this project is to develop an objective method for detecting and quantifying motion illusions induced by MTV, based on healthy individuals only. This objective measurement method will estimate motion illusions on the basis of the combined processing of electromyographic (EEG) and electromyographic (EMG) signals. From these biosignals, reliable biomarkers will be determined and used with advanced machine learning methods to obtain an objective measure of motion illusions and proprioceptive coding. This innovative method, based on EEG and EMG signals, will be designed to achieve a high level of finesse and sensitivity in the detection of motion illusions. This degree of sophistication is needed to develop other future technologies based on VMT, whether to (i) diagnose a patient's perceptual state with good accuracy et (ii) establish a reliable prognosis for recovery. The application of this method is not limited to stroke; it can be extended to other populations suffering from sensorimotor disorders and have a major impact on the healthcare and quality of life of Canadians. To carry out this project, a national team of experts from cross-sectoral fields covering engineering and health sciences has been put together.