Multimodal systems for upper limb neurorehabilitation in animal models

The demand for neurorehabilitation is progressively increased in recent years, due to the population aging and the rising prevalence of chronic health conditions. Neurological disabilities can be caused by several pathologies that affect the nervous system, as stroke, multiple sclerosis (MS), epilepsy, Parkinson's disease or traumatic brain injury. Lesions of the nervous system have a devastating impact on the quality of life: patients experience a dramatic decrease in mobility and essential physiological functions, leading to a reduction of independence in daily-life activities. In this context, the process of rehabilitation is an important step to help patients to regain independence and motor ability by promoting natural mechanisms. The main purpose of this project is to investigate the potential of the integration of robotic therapy in rehabilitative strategies, focusing on the explanation of the neural mechanisms. First, I developed new robotic devices designed for upper limb motor rehabilitation after neural injuries in three animal models: mice, rats and monkeys. Then, I validated the designed platforms testing their functionality and usability during preclinical experiments. Finally, I started the study of challenging rehabilitation protocols, such as the combination of robotic rehabilitation with chemogenetic and optogenetic stimulation, thus proving the utility of the robotic platforms to deeply investigate different approaches in order to augment plasticity after injury in animal models.