title: Improving fine motor function after brain injury using gesture recognition biofeedback.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We developed a gesture recognition biofeedback (GRB) device for improving fine motor function in persons with brain injury using surface muscle pressures of the forearm to provide real-time visual biofeedback. The GRB apparatus is easy to don by moderately impaired users and does not require precise placement of sensors.
  
  
  METHODS
  The efficacy of GRB training with each subject was assessed by comparing its effectiveness against standard repetitive training without feedback. The outcome was measured using a nine-hole peg test (HPT) administered before and after each condition, in a cross-over study design.
  
  
  RESULTS
  GRB was shown to be effective for short-term improvement of fine motor function of 12 impaired participants, reducing their average time to completion of the HPT by 15.5% (S.D. 7.14%). In a subset of impaired subjects, this effect was significant in comparison to similar training without biofeedback (p < 0.05). Control subjects experienced negligible change in HPT time.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This pilot study of a heterogeneous group shows that GRB may offer a simple means to help impaired users re-learn specified manual tasks.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08901, USA. don.yungher@gmail.com
authors.forename: Don
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yungher
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Craelius
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D015331:Cohort Studies; D030141:Feedback, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005868:Gestures; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009048:Motor Skills; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome