The $1.3 million high-resolution, 7.0 Tesla magnetic imaging system will allow 2-D and 3-D image reconstruction. With a resolution below 100 micrometers, the system allows researchers to see tissues or structures smaller than the width of a human hair.
In addition to Jung, other team members on this project include faculty from the schools of life sciences and engineering at ASU, Eric Reiman, M.D. from Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center; Mark Preul, M.D. and Adrienne Scheck, M.D., Barrows Neurological Institute.
Adaptive Electrical Stimulation for Locomotor Retraining
Recent studies indicate that individuals with spinal cord injury may be able to enhance their functional recovery of movement by performing repetitive stepping movements. Currently, individuals perform this therapy on a treadmill supported by a harness and passive assistance provided by therapists. The repetition is believed to help the body to re-learn how to generate suitable signals in the brain and spinal cord that will enable them to step independently.
With the $850,000 grant from NIH's National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research, Abbas and Jung will develop a neuroprosthetic system to electrically stimulate muscles to produce repeatable stepping movements with coordinated sensory and motor patterns. By using the stimulation to contract the muscles in an orchestrated manner that mimics natural muscle movement, the team hopes to improve the therapy and reduce reliance on a supportive harness. The adaptive nature of the control mechanism puts some 'intelligence' in the system to provide
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Contact: Gretchen Dobosz
gretchen.dobosz@asu.edu
480-727-0788
Arizona State University
27-Sep-2005