Severely impaired stroke survivors are regaining function in their arms after sometimes decades of immobility, thanks to a new video game-led training device invented by Dr. Marc Slutzky's Lab.
Body
Neurologist Dr. Marc Slutzky with Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and his colleagues were looking for a fun, inexpensive way to motivate stroke patients and help them take back control of their arms.
“Instead of being able to reach out for example and grab something right in front of them with their elbows straight, their muscles coactive, meaning they activate together abnormally,” said Dr. Slutzky.
So, they invented a video game. In a study with 32 patients, they found it increased arm mobility and reduced stiffness. And most participants retrained their arm function one month after finishing the training.
"We record the actual electrical potentials that the muscles make when they contract, so when the muscles contract, there is an electrical signal they give off showing they are activating. That’s what we are recording and using to control the game,” said Dr. Slutzky.
We record the actual electrical potentials that the muscles make when they contract, so when the muscles contract, there is an electrical signal they give off showing they are activating. That’s what we are recording and using to control the game.
Dr. Marc Slutzky
Body
They've invented an 80's style video game, that's portable, inexpensive and producing some exciting results. It's definitely not Fortnite or Mario Brothers, but the simplistic video game is helping stroke survivors regain arm movement.