Spasticity and vibration: understanding muscle tightness modulation as a therapeutic approach for neurologic patients
| Project/Area Number |
23K11944
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Review Section |
Basic Section 90150:Medical assistive technology-related
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| Research Institution | University of Tsukuba |
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Principal Investigator |
プエンテス サンドラ 筑波大学, システム情報系, 助教 (00725765)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
蜂須 拓 筑波大学, システム情報系, 助教 (20810170)
清水 如代 筑波大学, 医学医療系, 准教授 (40620993)
羽田 康司 筑波大学, 医学医療系, 教授 (80317700)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2023-04-01 – 2026-03-31
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| Project Status |
Granted (Fiscal Year 2023)
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| Budget Amount *help |
¥4,810,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,110,000)
Fiscal Year 2025: ¥780,000 (Direct Cost: ¥600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥180,000)
Fiscal Year 2024: ¥910,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥210,000)
Fiscal Year 2023: ¥3,120,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥720,000)
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| Keywords | Spasticity modulation / Vibration / muscle tightness / objective measurement / Spasticity / Rehabilitation / Wearable devices / Haptics |
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| Outline of Research at the Start |
Spasticity is a common symptom affecting patients with lesions in the central nervous system, causing muscle stiffness that may lead to a lack of coordination and limb deformities, impairing the patient's quality of life (QOL). Focal vibration has shown positive effects by reducing muscle tone and improving proprioception.
The goal of this research is to develop a system for understanding the relationship between spasticity and vibration under multiple scenarios, developing a non-invasive tool for spasticity modulation that can ease the symptoms of spasticity and improve the QOL of patients.
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
During the Fiscal Year 2023, the research was oriented to develop the first prototype with different frequencies to find out which approach worked better. To objectively measure vibration effect in volunteers without known neurologic conditions, increasing weights were used as a measure to induce muscle stiffness on the upper limb of the participants and testing of different frequencies was done with a piezo actuator as a controled vibration output in the first phase; and in the second phase it was replaced by a voice coil able to output different frequencies ranging from 50 Hz to 200 Hz.
To objectively estimate how the vibration was affected by the viscoelastic properties of the underlying tissues and the different muscle stifness (depending on the weight hold by the volunteers at each measurement point) an accelerometer-based sensor system was added to the setup and it was found that vibration dampening was lower for higher frequencies despite the reduction in the vibration amplitude.
An interesting phenomenom was noted regarding skin conditions and setup/vibration transmission changes. It was noted on a particular volunteer with atopic dermatitis that vibration dampening behaved differently than in other participants. such individual differences regarding local conditions of the skin will be considered for further experiments as well.
Results from the initial half has been presented in an international conference (EMBC 2023) and publshed as peer-reviewed conference proceedings.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
3: Progress in research has been slightly delayed.
Reason
When the initial application was submitted, it contemplated that at the end of the first year the prototype will be tested initially with a small group of spastic patients. However, since the vibration, sensing part was added, it took some additional time to came up with a working version. Additionally, the principal investigator was away from the university for health reasons on 2023 (from October to December) and this also impacted the progress of the research.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
At the moment, the actual version of the sytstem is being tested for safety, comfort for patients, and simplicity for experimenters, since the next step will be focused on the initial implementation of the dual device (spasticity measurement/modulation) on a small group of patients as proof of concept at the University hospital. To evaluate the modulation abilities of the device, multiple testings will be done on individual patients over a single session, implementing different vibration patterns and frequencies and collecting spasticity scores before and after the intervention. The pilot intervention will help to design an optimal protocol to attempt a couple of approaches combining frequency, time, and vibration patterns in a larger group of spastic patients afterwards.
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Report
(1 results)
Research Products
(2 results)
