Investigate Augmented Reality and Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Technology in People with Stroke( II )

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and augmented reality (AR) are both important issues in the advanced rehabilitation. We design two-year project to investigate the effect of rTMS and AR technologies in people with stroke. The first-year project is carried out currently. This is the second-year project. Recent studies showed that rTMS might affect neural plasticity while applied to individual with stroke. Possible mechanism of rTMS may be to restore the disrupted equilibrium and the inter-hemispheric communication in order to rebalance the interhemispheric competition and promote functional recovery. For application of AR, several studies revealed that AR auditory and visual feedback technologies might improve upper limb’s function of individuals with stroke. However, few of studies have reported the effect of AR on balance in people with stroke.Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the effect rTMS and AR technologies on cortical excitability, balance, daily activity, and etc. of individals with stroke. For above purpose, we design this two-year project to investigate the effect of AR technologies combined with rTMS therapy in people with stroke. First, we will develop AR system for the rehabilitation in people with stroke. Second, we will recruit forty-eight individuals with stroke to participate in this study. We allocate participants to four groups: rTMS and AR group, sham rTMS and AR group, rTMS and traditional rehabilitation group, as well as sham rTMS and traditional rehabilitation group. All participants will be undergone four weeks, 3 sessions per week, and 60 minutes per session training program. Cortical excitability, balance, daily activity, and etc. will be assessed before and after intervention. In the first year, we had designed the first version of AR system. This system included various programs for weight-shift, strength of lower limb and balance training in people with stroke. Moreover, we also began to recruit individuals with stroke to perform rTMS and AR training. In addition, the programs of AR system will be applied for the patent and our results will also be submitted to scientific journals after completing the project of this year. In this second-year project, we will not only continue to recruit all 48 individuals with stroke to complete clinical trials but also modify our AR system to get friendly interface towards users. The goal of this second-year project are as follows: First, we will submit two or three articles to the scientific Journals. Second, the software of modified AR system will be applied for patent. Final, the modified AR system will be sought for an opportunity of the technology transfer and the industry-academic collaboration. We expect through this two-year project can help us to understand the potential effects of rTMS and AR in treating individuals with stroke. Further, the results of clinical trials in this project will be provided physicians and therapists for reference materials of rehabilitation in individuals with stroke in the future. In addition, we hope this prototype AR system can have an opportunity to get the technology transfer and the industry-academic collaboration.