Rasooli A H, Birgani P M, Azizi Sh, Shahrokhi A, Mirbagheri M M
IEEE Int Conf Rehabil Robot. 2017 Jul;2017:101-105. doi: 10.1109/ICORR.2017.8009229.
We evaluated the therapeutic effects of anti-gravity locomotor treadmill (AlterG) training on postural stability in children with Cerebral Palsy (CP) and spasticity, particularly in the lower extremity. AlterG can facilitate walking by reducing the weight of CP children by up to 80%; it can also help subjects maintain an appropriate posture during the locomotor AlterG training. Thus, we hypothesized that AlterG training, for a sufficient period of time, has a potential to produce cerebellum neuroplasticity, and consequently result in an effective permanent postural stability. AlterG training was given for 45 minutes, three times a week for two months. Postural balance was evaluated using posturography. The parameters of the Romberg based posturography were extracted to quantify the Center of Balance (CoP). The neuroplasticity of Cerebellum was evaluated using a Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI). The evaluations were done pre- and post-training. The Fractional Anisotropy (FA) feature was used for quantifying structural changes in the cerebellum. The results showed that AlterG training resulted in an increase in average FA value of the cerebellum white matter following the training. The results of the posturography evaluations showed a consistent improvement in postural stability. These results were consistent in all subjects. Our findings indicated that the improvement in the posture was accompanied with the enhancement of the cerebellum white matter structure. The clinical implication is that AlterG training can be considered a therapeutic tool for an effective and permanent improvement of postural stability in CP children.
我们评估了抗重力运动跑步机（AlterG）训练对脑瘫（CP）和痉挛儿童姿势稳定性的治疗效果，特别是在下肢方面。AlterG可以通过减轻CP儿童高达80%的体重来促进行走；它还可以帮助受试者在AlterG运动训练期间保持适当的姿势。因此，我们假设，经过足够长的时间，AlterG训练有可能产生小脑神经可塑性，从而实现有效的永久性姿势稳定。AlterG训练每次进行45分钟，每周三次，持续两个月。使用姿势描记法评估姿势平衡。提取基于Romberg姿势描记法的参数以量化平衡中心（CoP）。使用扩散张量成像（DTI）评估小脑的神经可塑性。在训练前和训练后进行评估。分数各向异性（FA）特征用于量化小脑的结构变化。结果表明，AlterG训练导致训练后小脑白质的平均FA值增加。姿势描记法评估结果显示姿势稳定性持续改善。所有受试者的结果均一致。我们的研究结果表明，姿势的改善伴随着小脑白质结构的增强。临床意义在于，AlterG训练可被视为一种治疗工具，用于有效且永久性地改善CP儿童的姿势稳定性。
