OPTIMISATION OF MOTOR SIMULATION TECHNIQUES IN POST-STROKE NEURO-REHABILITATIONThesis by Clara Pfenninger

Supervisors:  Thomas Lapole (LIBM, Saint-Etienne) & Pascal Giraux (CHU Saint-Etienne)

Title: Optimisation of motor simulation techniques in post-stroke neuro-rehabilitation.

Stroke is a major cause of disability worldwide. The motor impairments suffered as a result of stroke are mostly limited to one of the patient's hemispheres. Although the patient often recovers the benefit of walking, the upper limb lesions persist in more than 60% of cases and are the cause of a loss of autonomy as well as a decrease in the patient's quality of life.

In these patients, the major challenge of rehabilitation is therefore the motor recovery of the upper limb. However, voluntary muscle activation is often limited or impossible in the early stages after the stroke, although these are the most optimal stages for functional recovery. In order to optimise the rehabilitation of patients from the very beginning of their treatment, the use of motor simulations such as mirror therapy, motor imagery or action observation are possible and have already demonstrated their value in the relearning of movement and motor control. These neuro-rehabilitation methods, by increasing corticospinal excitability, make it possible to improve brain plasticity and thus modulate existing neural pathways or create new neurons. Nevertheless, although beneficial, these methods are only rarely used in rehabilitation centres because they are too complex to implement.

Our project will therefore consist of optimising these motor simulation techniques in order to propose a new device to optimise the functional recovery of the upper limb in post-stroke patients.

Contract duration: 10/2020 to O10/2023

Funding: Saint-Étienne Métropole - Dessintey Company