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Many individuals with disabling conditions have difficulty with gait and balance control that may result in a fall. Exoskeletons are becoming an increasingly popular technology to aid in walking. Despite being a significant aid in increasing mobility, little attention has been paid to exoskeleton features to mitigate falls. To develop improved exoskeleton stability, quantitative information regarding how a user reacts to postural challenges while wearing the exoskeleton is needed. Assessing the unique responses of individuals to postural perturbations while wearing an exoskeleton provides critical information necessary to effectively accommodate a variety of individual response patterns. This report provides kinematic and neuromuscular data obtained from seven healthy, college-aged individuals during posterior support surface translations with and without wearing a lower limb exoskeleton. A 2-min, static baseline standing trial was also obtained. Outcome measures included a variety of 0 dimensional (OD) measures such as center of pressure (COP) RMS, peak amplitude, velocities, pathlength, and electromyographic (EMG) RMS, and peak amplitudes. These measures were obtained during epochs associated with the response to the perturbations: baseline, response, and recovery. T-tests were used to explore potential statistical differences between the exoskeleton and no exoskeleton conditions. Time series waveforms (1D) of the COP and EMG data were also analyzed. Statistical parametric mapping (SPM) was used to evaluate the 1D COP and EMG waveforms obtained during the epochs with and without wearing the exoskeleton. The results indicated that during quiet stance, COP velocity was increased while wearing the exoskeleton, but the magnitude of sway was unchanged. The OD COP measures revealed that wearing the exoskeleton significantly reduced the sway magnitude and velocity in response to the perturbations. There were no systematic effects of wearing the exoskeleton on EMG. SPM analysis revealed that there was a range of individual responses; both behaviorally (COP) and among neuromuscular activation patterns (EMG). Using both the OD and 1D measures provided a more comprehensive representation of how wearing the exoskeleton impacts the responses to posterior perturbations. This study supports a growing body of evidence that exoskeletons must be personalized to meet the specific capabilities and needs of each individual end-user. 

Abstract Objective. Transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation (TSS) has been shown to be a promising non-invasive alternative to epidural spinal cord stimulation for improving outcomes of people with spinal cord injury (SCI). However, studies on the effects of TSS on cortical activation are limited. Our objectives were to evaluate the spatiotemporal effects of TSS on brain activity, and determine changes in functional connectivity under several different stimulation conditions. As a control, we also assessed the effects of functional electrical stimulation (FES) on cortical activity. Approach . Non-invasive scalp electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded during TSS or FES while five neurologically intact participants performed one of three lower-limb tasks while in the supine position: (1) A no contraction control task, (2) a rhythmic contraction task, or (3) a tonic contraction task. After EEG denoising and segmentation, independent components (ICs) were clustered across subjects to characterize sensorimotor networks in the time and frequency domains. ICs of the event related potentials (ERPs) were calculated for each cluster and condition. Next, a Generalized Partial Directed Coherence (gPDC) analysis was performed on each cluster to compare the functional connectivity between conditions and tasks. Main results . IC analysis of EEG during TSS resulted in three clusters identified at Brodmann areas (BA) 9, BA 6, and BA 4, which are areas associated with working memory, planning, and movement control. Lastly, we found significant ( p  < 0.05, adjusted for multiple comparisons) increases and decreases in functional connectivity of clusters during TSS, but not during FES when compared to the no stimulation conditions. Significance. The findings from this study provide evidence of how TSS recruits cortical networks during tonic and rhythmic lower limb movements. These results have implications for the development of spinal cord-based computer interfaces, and the design of neural stimulation devices for the treatment of pain and sensorimotor deficit. 

Millions of concussions happen each year in the US alone. A proportionally large number of these concussions are due to high impact sports injury. Currently, there exists no solution to quickly monitor brain functions and test the oculomotor functions of individuals who have suffered a traumatic brain injury in order to diagnose them as having suffered a concussion. What is presently done to diagnose concussions is a CT scan or MRI, which are lengthy procedures to schedule, set up, and conduct; and furthermore, takes additional time to analyze the results in order to arrive at a diagnosis. This prolongation of the diagnosing process is inherently problematic since the longer time it takes between time of injury and time of diagnosis, there is greater risk of decisions and actions which can worsen damage to the brain. The sooner a concussion can be diagnosed, the sooner and better the treatment can be performed for recovery. In order to ameliorate this issue, we seek to develop a device to perform the function of diagnosis and monitoring of brain activity in a more rapid and timely manner. Literature review into the anatomy of vestibular and ocular brain functions was performed; as well as research into various testing and monitoring methodologies of these vestibular and ocular functions. One such method that has proven to be a reliable method for diagnosis is Vestibular Ocular Motor Screening (VOMS), which is a visual and balance test performed by a doctor with a patient. Further research was also done into existing technologies whose functionalities would allow the device in order to perform brain monitoring, visual testing, and ultimately diagnosis; namely EEG, VR, and infrared eye tracking. Currently, very few devices on the market take advantage of these technologies together for medical uses. A device incorporating these technologies together allows would allow for more consistent administering of visual tests and real-time monitoring of brain activity. With a functional prototype, user testing is to be performed in order to assess the function and viability of the device.

 

Understanding and predicting others' actions in ecological settings is an important research goal in social neuroscience. Here, we deployed a mobile brain-body imaging (MoBI) methodology to analyze inter-brain communication between professional musicians during a live jazz performance. Specifically, bispectral analysis was conducted to assess the synchronization of scalp electroencephalographic (EEG) signals from three expert musicians during a three-part 45 minute jazz performance, during which a new musician joined every five minutes. The bispectrum was estimated for all musician dyads, electrode combinations, and five frequency bands. The results showed higher bispectrum in the beta and gamma frequency bands (13-50 Hz) when more musicians performed together, and when they played a musical phrase synchronously. Positive bispectrum amplitude changes were found approximately three seconds prior to the identified synchronized performance events suggesting preparatory cortical activity predictive of concerted behavioral action. Moreover, a higher amount of synchronized EEG activity, across electrode regions, was observed as more musicians performed, with inter-brain synchronization between the temporal, parietal, and occipital regions the most frequent. Increased synchrony between the musicians' brain activity reflects shared multi-sensory processing and movement intention in a musical improvisation task. 

Mobile brain-body imaging (MoBI) technology allows the study of the brain in action and the context of complex natural settings. MoBI devices are wearable devices that typically record the scalp electroencephalogram (EEG) and head motion of the user. MoBI systems have applications in neuroscience, rehabilitation, design, and other applications. Here, we propose design principles for MoBI systems for use in brain-machine interfaces for rehabilitation by individuals with movement disabilities. This design study discusses the validity of the process of utilizing 3D anthropometric data as a basis to design a MoBI headset for an optimized fit and ergonomics. The study also discusses the need for ensuring that EEG sensors keep constant contact with the scalp and face for the best scan quality. Moreover, the need for singlehanded correct positioning of the headset is discussed to address disabilities in the older populations and clinical populations with motor impairments. 

Socioeconomic status (SES) has been shown to be related to brain development and cognitive performance. We present a functional NIRS connectivity analysis in children with different SES during a working memory task. 

Pain-related neural mechanisms are not well understood yet. FNIRS could elucidate the hemodynamic responses under pain stimulation. We present a qualitative perspective on brain response to pain in patients suffering from osteoarthritis.