{"41568":{"#nid":"41568","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Device May Offer Alternative for Stroke Patients","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAs the most common cause of adult disability in the United States, stroke leaves many survivors unable to perform tasks that were once part of their daily routine. Much of the time the disabilities are treatable, but the high cost of rehabilitation therapy leaves many patients to cope on their own.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ENow, a new device has the potential to reduce the cost of therapy while increasing access by performing many of the therapists\u0027 tasks robotically. Jay Alberts, assistant professor in the School of Applied Physiology, and colleagues from Emory University are beginning a two-year study to see if the Hand Mentor is a feasible complement to individual therapy.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022The question we\u0027re trying to answer is \u0027can we get the same level of improvement while cutting the time a patient spends with a therapist in half?\u0027\u0022 said Alberts. \u0022If we can, that could make treatment more accessible by making it more affordable for insurance companies to cover.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EStroke patient Herbert Brooks has difficulty controlling his right hand. A pre-trial participant, he slips his arm into the Mentor, resting his fingers on the hand grip. His therapist punches a few buttons on the device\u0027s computer. The Mentor\u0027s air muscles contract, extending his wrist to a programmed angle.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe rest is up to Brooks. The machine stops pulling and the therapist asks Brooks to extend his wrist the rest of the way. All the while the Mentor is measuring how far he extends, how much force he is using and how much electrical activity his muscles are experiencing. It also records the resistance he gives as the machine pulls his hand into position. If he\u0027s improving, the resistance should decrease.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EDeveloped by Kinetic Muscles, Inc. in Tempe, Ariz., the Hand Mentor is used with a type of therapy known as repetitive task practice. Typically, patients who have difficulty\u003Cbr \/\u003E\ncontrolling a part of their body after a stroke learn to compensate with another limb. This acquired behavior, known as learned non-use, can prevent patients from improving the functioning of the affected limb. Repetitive task practice works by forcing patients to use the impaired limb.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Active therapy may help the brain rewire itself to use different neurons for muscle movements that were impaired by stroke,\u0022 explained Alberts. \u0022In essence, we\u0027re training the brain as well as the muscles.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAlberts is collaborating with Steve Wolf and Andrew Butler in Emory\u0027s Department of Rehabilitation Medicine on the NIH-funded preliminary clinical trial. The 24 participants will spend four hours a day, five days a week for three weeks undergoing traditional repetitive task training, using just the Mentor, or both. Patients will undergo brain scans before and after the therapy regimen.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EFor more information on the trial visit the web link below.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EMedia Contact: David Terraso, 404-385-2966, \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:david.terraso@icpa.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Edavid.terraso@icpa.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ETechnical Contact: Jay Alberts, 404-385-2339, \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jay.alberts@ap.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejay.alberts@ap.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"Assistant Professor Jay Alberts along with colleagues from Emory University test robotic stroke rehabilitation device.","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Preliminary clinical trial underway"}],"uid":"27310","created_gmt":"2005-03-28 01:00:00","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:02:30","author":"David Terraso","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2005-03-28T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2005-03-28T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"41569":{"id":"41569","type":"image","title":"Hand Mentor","body":null,"created":"1449174325","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 20:25:25","changed":"1475894375","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:39:35","alt":"Hand Mentor","file":{"fid":"190069","name":"tjv26668.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/tjv26668_3.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/tjv26668_3.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":790862,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/tjv26668_3.jpg?itok=B0FzjRig"}}},"media_ids":["41569"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.ap.gatech.edu\/alberts\/","title":"Jay Alberts"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"3213","name":"alberts"},{"id":"554","name":"rehabilitation"},{"id":"167732","name":"Stroke"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Tech Media Relations\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELaura Diamond\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:laura.diamond@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Elaura.diamond@comm.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-894-6016\u003Cbr \/\u003EJason Maderer\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:maderer@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Emaderer@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-660-2926\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["david.terraso@comm.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}