# A wearable myoelectric computer interface to reduce muscle co-activation in acute and chronic stroke

> **NIH NIH R01** · NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $344,845

## Abstract

Hemiparesis from stroke is the leading cause of disability in the world. Arm impairment after stroke is due not
only to weakness, but also to impaired muscle coordination—abnormal co-activation—during attempted
movement. This is especially true in the most severely-impaired patients, who are most in need of new
treatments. We have developed a myoelectric computer interface (MCI) paradigm to remedy this co-activation.
The long term goal of this research is to develop an affordable, wearable MCI device that will improve motor
function in stroke survivors. However, to date we have studied MCI use only in chronic stroke survivors in the
laboratory, using cumbersome and expensive equipment. Little information exists as to how soon after stroke
abnormal co-activation starts to impede arm function, but it seems likely that averting it would be easier in the
acute stage, when the brain exhibits greater plasticity. Moreover, as healthcare resources become ever
scarcer, it is important to design new therapies that are portable and affordable to enable extensive use in the
community. The objective of this proposal is to advance the MCI paradigm by 1) creating a wearable MCI
device that can be used outside the laboratory, 2) enhancing the training regimen, and 3) testing the MCI in
stroke survivors in both the acute and chronic stages of recovery. The central hypothesis of this proposal is
that making MCI therapy more intense, more similar to everyday movements, and starting training early in
stroke recovery, will result in even greater functional improvement. We will design a wearable device and test
this hypothesis in stroke survivors in both early and late stages after stroke via these specific aims: 1) To
design and implement a wearable MCI device that controls therapeutic, tablet-based games, 2) To develop
and enhance home-based MCI training in chronic stroke survivors, and 3) To assess the effect of acute-phase
MCI training on stroke survivors' movement and function. This proposal's innovative development of a
wearable device paradigm to reduce abnormal co-activation will enable us to study the benefits of MCI training
both early and late after stroke. Achieving our objectives will be significant because it will address unmet
needs to develop new treatments for stroke that are inexpensive and wearable to enable widespread use. We
expect MCI training will help people with severe arm impairment as well as those with moderate impairment,
since the severely-impaired have more abnormal co-activation and since the MCI only requires some residual
myoelectric activity, not overt movements. We also expect this proposal to provide an unprecedented
characterization of the temporal development of abnormal co-activation early after stroke. This will impact our
overall understanding of the process of recovery from stroke. We expect that the MCI paradigm will be
synergistic with other therapies, since it has a novel mechanism of action (reducing co-activation using E...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9983199
- **Project number:** 5R01NS099210-05
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Marc W. Slutzky
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $344,845
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-09-01 → 2023-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9983199

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9983199, A wearable myoelectric computer interface to reduce muscle co-activation in acute and chronic stroke (5R01NS099210-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9983199. Licensed CC0.

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