Computer stimulation for balance and walking in people with MS

Summary

Professor Souyma Ghosh and his colleagues at the Western Australian Neuroscience Research Institute will investigate the potential of an interesting new approach that combines computer aided rehabilitation techniques with magnetic brain stimulation to improve walking and balance in people with MS.

Falls are very common in people with MS and are known to occur early in the course of the disease. Falls can be the result of a range of different symptoms such as weakness and lack of coordination of the trunk and lower limbs, reduced sensation in the feet and legs, visual problems and thinking and attention problems. The combination of symptoms can vary in every individual, and as such, there may be a number of different approaches required to improve walking and balance in people with MS.

In this study, Professor Ghosh and his team will conduct a pilot clinical trial to improve walking and balance in MS patients using specialised training techniques involving a combination of computer-controlled robot-aided rehabilitation together with brain stimulation.

Participants will receive balance training using a computer controlled device known as the ‘balance master’ that provides objective assessment and retraining of the sensory and voluntary motor control of balance with visual bio-feedback. This training will be tested either with or without non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS). This technique is increasingly being trialled around the world for enhancing brain plasticity after neural injury. Brain plasticity is the ability of the brain to form new connections between neurons to learn new tasks and compensate for the effects of damage. The project will investigate whether brain stimulation can further enhance the effects of balance training alone on walking ability and falls prevention.
Updated 22/07/2014