Damage to the brain or spinal cord—for instance, following a stroke or accident—can lead to sensorimotor paralysis, a condition in which the limbs no longer move as intended or sensation becomes impaired due to nerve damage.

Even when patients survive, the resulting paralysis reduces quality of life (QOL), which remains a serious challenge.

Moreover, the symptoms and responses to treatment vary greatly from one patient to another, even when they have the same type of brain injury. This makes it difficult to determine the most effective course of physical therapy.

To address this challenge, our research aims to maximize the brain’s inherent restorative potential by using XR technologies (a collective term for virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality, which integrate real and virtual environments) together with artificial intelligence (AI), and to apply these advances into clinical settings.

Recreating Motor Sensations in the Post-injury Brain to Promote Functional Recovery

The key concept in this research is neural replay of motor imagery.

This refers to the active process of imagining movement within the brain, even while the body is in a resting state.

For example, when a person is healthy, just imagining the experience of playing a sport can spark brain activity similar to real movement.

However, when the brain is injured, this ability declines, and awareness of the position and posture of your own limbs becomes less precise.

In fact, real motor function and the brain’s ability to reproduce body awareness and motor imagery are deeply interconnected.

To address these challenges, we have developed a therapeutic approach that combines XR technologies (virtual reality and augmented reality) with insights from neuroscience.

This approach makes use of the illusion in which patients perceive a virtual body (avatar) projected in a head-mounted display as their own, reflecting embodiment effect.

By observing the avatar’s movements, the brain is induced to generate motor imagery (a kinesthetic illusion), activating motor-associated regions of the brain and spinal cord, even while the body is in a resting state.

In addition, we have established methods that enhance treatment effects by applying electrical stimulation to amplify sensory input and facilitate neuronal plasticity.

Harnessing the Brain’s Latent Capacity for Repair and Reorganization to Inform Therapeutic Decision-making

The repair of brain structure and function can be observed as the reorganization of neural circuits.

We are exploring new principles of neural circuit reorganization by analyzing brain images obtained in radiology using AI and mathematical methods.

Through this approach, we aim to develop what might be called “digital twin physiotherapy”—a system that enables appropriate treatment choices and predictions of future motor function based on brain imaging data.

Our laboratory aims to develop next-generation physiotherapy, by bridging fundamental science and clinical application.

By deepening our understanding of how the brain works and applying these findings to physiotherapy, treatment can become more individualized.

This contributes to improving the quality of life for people suffering from paralysis.

Profile

Department of Physical Therapy, Graduate of Human Health Sciences

Professor
Fuminari Kaneko

Ph.D. (Health Sciences) at Doctoral Program (Advanced Course), Graduate School of Health Sciences, Hiroshima University.