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The Learning Curve of People with Complete Spinal Cord Injury Using a NESs-FESs Interface in the Sitting Position: Pilot Study

Authors :
Felipe Augusto Fiorin
Larissa Gomes Sartori
María Verónica González Méndez
Christiane Henriques Ferreira
Maria Bernadete de Morais França
Eddy Krueger
Source :
Eng, Vol 4, Iss 2, Pp 1711-1722 (2023)
Publication Year :
2023
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2023.

Abstract

The use of assistive technologies, such as a non-invasive interface for neuroelectrical signal and functional electrical stimulation (NESs-FESs), can mitigate the effects of spinal cord injury (SCI), including impairment of motor, sensory, and autonomic functions. However, it requires an adaptation process to enhance the user’s performance by tuning the learning curve to a point of extreme relevance. Therefore, in this pilot study, the learning curves of two people with complete SCI (PA: paraplegic-T6, and PB: quadriplegic-C4) were analyzed, with results obtained on the accuracy of the classifier (AcCSP−LDA), repetitions of intra-day training, and number of hits and misses in the activation of FESs for sixteen interventions using the NESs-FESs interface. We assumed that the data were non-parametric and performed the Spearman’s ρ test (and p-value) for correlations between the data. There was variation between the learning curves resulting from the training of the NESs-FESs interface for the two participants, and the variation was influenced by factors both related and unrelated to the individual users. Regardless of these factors, PA improved significantly in its learning curve, as it presented lower values in all variables in the first interventions compared to the PB, although only PA showed statistical correlation (on AcCSP−LDA values in RLL). It was concluded that despite the variations according to factors intrinsic to the user and the functioning of the equipment used, sixteen interventions were sufficient to achieve a good learning effect to control the NESs-FESs interface.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
26734117
Volume :
4
Issue :
2
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Eng
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.01bbc847ad834de486f8544e24b69a75
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/eng4020097