StimuLOOP

Parkinson’s disease (PD) and stroke lead to a considerable socioeconomic burden for patients and health systems worldwide. Neurorehabilitation includes treatments to reduce disability, but their efficacies vary largely between individuals, and frequently fail to achieve meaningful outcomes. Here, we propose four novel approaches to personalized neurorehabilitation - methods that are precision-engineered for each patient and based on neuroplasticity mechanisms. We will conduct proof-of-concept studies to test whether personalized haptic feedback improves gait quality and mobility after stroke and whether neurofeedback-based self-modulation of activity in deep brain regions improves gait and mobility in PD.

Both interventions induce fast adaptations which may be quickly forgotten. They will therefore be followed by two methods to facilitate consolidation of learned motor outcomes. These methods involve the personalized modulation of sleep so that consolidation processes, which are known to occur during sleep, amplify the longer-term benefits. Finally, we will interrogate the gait quality data of subjects to identify predictors for recovery in stroke and PD rehabilitation. Beyond proof-of-concept for methods of precision rehabilitation, the results of this project may impact neurorehabilitation treatment in general by providing an understanding of the role of feedback and sleep consolidation.