Neural rehabilitation - the role of technology in medicine

Abstract

Neuro-rehabilitation is a speciality of neuroscience, which deals with study and application of complex medical processes aiming at recovery from injury of nervous system and to compensate its functional alterations due to brain or spine injury. Rehabilitation promotes their skills to work at the highest possible level of independence and rebuild self-esteem. The sensory and cognitive (thought, memory, decision-making) rehabilitation management typically involves retraining neural pathways to regain or improve neurocognitive functions compromized by disease or injury, using various procedures including technology. In the past the role of Rehabilitation technology was mostly focused to quantify treatment progress and cognitive functions. With newer approaches like neural prosthesis, wireless transmission of biomedical signal, bionics, etc.- the concept has changed. There is further need to develop and customize technology as per our need as, in India, locomotor disability constitute more than 50% and is increasing further. In the last decade there has been significant developments in the area of FES, Stabilometry/force plate, Gait analysis, Metabolic analyzer, EEG/EMG signal processing, etc. The goal of professionals including engineers/doctors/paramedics in neuro-rehabilitation is to normalize tone, to inhibit primitive patterns of movement and to facilitate automatic, voluntary reactions and subsequent normal patterns.With the better understanding the pathophysiology, advancement of medical science and engineering inputs, the concept of rehabilitation and its demand in society has changed now. The fast increase in life modifying condition like trauma, diabetes, hypertension, increase in geriatric population and cases of Cerebral Palsy has led to increase in conditions requiring neuro-rehabilitation and hence looks toward better services and technology.