Psychophysiological Assessment of Children with Cerebral Palsy during Robotic-Assisted Gait Training through Infrared Imaging

David Perpetuini, Emanuele Francesco Russo, Daniela Cardone (), Roberta Palmieri, Chiara Filippini, Michele Tritto, Federica Pellicano, Grazia Pia De Santis, Raffaello Pellegrino, Rocco Salvatore Calabrò, Serena Filoni and Arcangelo Merla
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David Perpetuini: Department of Neuroscience and Imaging, University G. D’Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy
Emanuele Francesco Russo: Padre Pio Foundation and Rehabilitation Centers, 71013 San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
Daniela Cardone: Department of Engineering and Geology, University G. D’Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, 65127 Pescara, Italy
Roberta Palmieri: Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neurosciences and Sense Organs, Institute of Child Neuropsychiatry, University of Bari, 70121 Bari, Italy
Chiara Filippini: Department of Neuroscience and Imaging, University G. D’Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy
Michele Tritto: Next2U s.r.l., 65127 Pescara, Italy
Federica Pellicano: Padre Pio Foundation and Rehabilitation Centers, 71013 San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
Grazia Pia De Santis: Padre Pio Foundation and Rehabilitation Centers, 71013 San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
Raffaello Pellegrino: Department of Scientific Research, Campus Ludes, Off-Campus Semmelweis University, 6912 Lugano, Switzerland
Rocco Salvatore Calabrò: IRCCS Centro Neurolesi “Bonino-Pulejo”, 98124 Messina, Italy
Serena Filoni: Padre Pio Foundation and Rehabilitation Centers, 71013 San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
Arcangelo Merla: Department of Engineering and Geology, University G. D’Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, 65127 Pescara, Italy

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 22, 1-13

Abstract: Cerebral palsy (CP) is a non-progressive neurologic pathology representing a leading cause of spasticity and concerning gait impairments in children. Robotic-assisted gait training (RAGT) is widely employed to treat this pathology to improve children’s gait pattern. Importantly, the effectiveness of the therapy is strictly related to the engagement of the patient in the rehabilitation process, which depends on his/her psychophysiological state. The aim of the study is to evaluate the psychophysiological condition of children with CP during RAGT through infrared thermography (IRT), which was acquired during three sessions in one month. A repeated measure ANOVA was performed (i.e., mean value, standard deviation, and sample entropy) extracted from the temperature time course collected over the nose and corrugator, which are known to be indicative of the psychophysiological state of the individual. Concerning the corrugator, significant differences were found for the sample entropy (F (1.477, 5.907) = 6.888; p = 0.033) and for the mean value (F (1.425, 5.7) = 5.88; p = 0.047). Regarding the nose tip, the sample entropy showed significant differences (F (1.134, 4.536) = 11.5; p = 0.041). The findings from this study suggests that this approach can be used to evaluate in a contactless manner the psychophysiological condition of the children with CP during RAGT, allowing to monitor their engagement to the therapy, increasing the benefits of the treatment.

Keywords: infrared thermography; cerebral palsy; robotic-assisted gait training; neurorehabilitation; rehabilitation; psychophysiological assessment; therapeutic engagement (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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