Brain-Computer Interface in Chronic Stroke: sensorimotor closed-loop and contingent force feedback make the difference

Motor rehabilitation from stroke injury is of topic importance nowadays that neurological diseases have been become a medical urgency. Brain-Computer interfaces have been demonstrated to be helpful in the recovery of motor functions: In particular, the closed loop involving sensorimotor brain rhythms, assistive-robot training and proprioceptive feedback in an operant learning fashion is suspected to be the most effective way to promote the neural plasticity of the ipilesional hemisphere and to restore motor abilities. This study aimed at implementing such a scheme: One stroke patient in the chronic state was recluted and underwent the experiment both using the damaged arm and the healthy one, considered as control during the following analyses. Kinematic and neurophysiological outcomes confirmed the efficacy of this treatment and showed that a contingent force feedback can definitely improve motor accuracy of the upper limb.