Engineering Commons^™

Modeling Subconcussive And Cumulative Subconcussive Impacts Using A Lateral Fluid Percusion Injury Device, Todd Long

Dissertations

Repetitive mTBI and concussion are a major risk factor for developing long-term cognitive and behavioral impairments. Curiously, cumulative head injuries sustained over an individuals’ career, involving contact activities (e.g. athletes and military personnel), are beginning to be implicated in long-term consequences, such as dementia. Recently, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) has gained momentum in the science and medical community as a neurodegenerative disease of repetitive head injuries. CTE was observed at autopsy of former athletes that did not closely correlate with a clinical history of concussion. Thus, suggesting cumulative subconcussive insults may induce long-term damage.

Investigating the etiology of subconcussive and …

The Use Of Audio Stimulation To Affect Sensorimotor Learning, Gregory Nicholas Ranky

Dissertations

Sensorimotor learning for the hand and fingers can be conducted using both hardware and software components, but the training regime is also important. Using repetitive sequence tapping allows measurement of defined metrics in a controlled, safe environment, and therefore statistical indications for subject improvement.

The process of entrainment, when a subject’s own movements synchronize to an external signal, has been tested in prior studies for memorization and recognition, but has not been investigated for correlation with sensorimotor learning.

This is tested with selected custom isochronic audio tones, combined with sequential finger tapping on a standard computer keyboard.

Whilst there were …

A Novel Approach To Increase Upper Extremity Active Range Of Motion For Individuals With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Using Admittance Control, Madeline Catherine Corrigan

Dissertations

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a neuromuscular disease with a prevalence of 1 in 3,500-5,000 male births, results in progressive muscle weakness causing loss of independence and imposing the demands of costly and intrusive assistive support and personal care for daily living tasks. Upper extremity function begins to decline while ambulation is still possible and gradually progresses with time, playing a prominent role in loss of independence. Importantly, upper extremity functional limitations exist despite residual muscle strength that is insufficient to lift the arms against gravity. Presently, there exist a number of commercially available assistive devices aimed at augmenting upper extremity …

Assessment Of A Hand Exoskeleton On Proximal And Distal Training In Virtual Environments For Robot Mediated Upper Extremity Rehabilitation, Kevin Abbruzzese

Dissertations

Stroke is the leading cause of disability in the United States with approximately 800,000 cases per year. This cerebral vascular accident results in neurological impairments that reduce limb function and limit the daily independence of the individual. Evidence suggests that therapeutic interventions with repetitive motor training can aid in functional recovery of the paretic limb. Robotic rehabilitation may present an exercise intervention that can improve training and induce motor plasticity in individuals with stroke. An active (motorized) hand exoskeleton that provides support for wrist flexion/extension, abduction/adduction, pronation/supination, and finger pinch is integrated with a pre-existing 3-Degree of Freedom (DOF) haptic …