Neurologically healthy subjects and those post-stroke will engage in pilot work to investigate the immediate and longer term effects of using and ankle robotic device during treadmill walking or while seated or standing. Those appropriate for the study will be tested on a seated and/or standing ankle control task with and without the anklebot. They will also be tested during treadmill walking with and without the anklebot device. The anklebot will be tested in multiple different control modes to see which are most appropriate for use in subsequent clinical studies. Explicit controls to be tested include: 1) active control at different gait phases and triggered off of different events and 2) inversion-eversion control of foot position at ground contact.

One of the limitations with the current version of ZeroG overhead body weight support system is that it is unclear how therapists should establish the proper level of body-weight support (BWS). While BWS is currently established based on the experience of the therapist, our goal is to provide a more quantitative method of adjusting this setting. Specifically, we would like to use a quantitative measure of walking performance which can be monitored by ZeroG in real-time, and then the level of body-weight support automatically adapted in order to try and maximize this performance criterion throughout the training session.

In this study researchers aim to improve the collaborative research efforts of the Center for Rehabilitation Research in Neurological Conditions at the Medical University of South Carolina. The Center is comprised of several laboratories, including: the Communication and Swallowing Laboratory; the Locomotor Energetics and Assessment Laboratory; the Locomotor Rehabilitation Laboratory; the Neuromuscular Assessment Laboratory; and the Upper Extremity Motor Function Laboratory. The PI and investigators will recruit for their current and future studies in the above laboratories from the Clinical Database established here. Studies utilizing the Clinical Database will not include PHI but will only link to the Clinical Database individual patient code. This study is completed by completing a simple screening form with study personnel. Medical care/treatment future participation in studies is not influenced by inclusion in this study.

The purpose of this study is to determine the most optimal way to measure arm movement in people who have sustained a stroke or incomplete spinal cord injury (levels C5-C7). This study will require 4 hours of arm movement evaluations and will require one or two sessions.

Gait rehabilitation can often improve the functional mobility of patients who have suffered a stroke or spinal cord injury, but existing rehabilitation techniques are labor intensive or expensive. We propose the development of a low-cost mechanical device that will make walking easier for these patients, allowing them to reap the benefits of gait rehabilitation while practicing walking under natural conditions. The first step in this process is testing whether our device assists walking in healthy subjects, as indicated by reductions in energetic demand and muscle activity of the legs

The purpose of this study is to assess the changes in language processing of patients with chronic, post-stroke aphasia following the application of brain stimulation. The brain stimulation we administer is called transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). It involves passing a weak electrical current through the brain between two electrodes in the form of damp sponges. One sponge will be placed over a specified area on the damaged left hemisphere, while the other sponge will be placed on the right scalp. Computer-controlled speech-language treatment will be administered during the application of tDCS.

This project will evaluate two different methods of normalizing the center of mass acceleration (COMa) in individuals post-stroke, specifically focusing on rates and pattern of recovery to analyze walking-specific adaptations as precursors to motor learning. In addition, the proposed project seeks to establish the optimal configuration of electrodes to activate neural circuits involved in post-stroke locomotion. Once the better method of training COMa and optimal parameters of electrode placement for tDCS are identified, we will evaluate the effects of tDCS on locomotor adaptations during single sessions and over a five-day training period.

The primary aim of the study is to determine the effect of lidocaine infusion upon neurocognitive function after cardiac surgery. The study population will consist of 476 informed and consenting patients for cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CABG, Valve, or CABG + Valve) who will be prospectively enrolled over a four-year period (one-year for follow-up). Patients will be randomly assigned to one of two groups with all investigators and cognitive “testers” blinded to this assignment: lidocaine bolus & continuous infusion over 48 hours vs saline bolus & continuous infusion over 48 hours. After induction of anesthesia, patients randomized to the lidocaine group will receive a 1 mg/kg bolus of intravenous lidocaine, followed by an infusion at 48 mcg/kg/min for 1 hour, then 24 mcg/kg/min for the second hour, and then 10 mcg/kg/min for the next 46 hours. Plasma for lidocaine levels will be sampled at baseline (prior to bolus), end of cardiopulmonary bypass, and 24 and 48 hours after bolus (end of infusion). If plasma levels exceed 5 mcg/ml, the lidocaine infusion will be discontinued, thus safeguarding against delivery of supra-therapeutic or toxic doses. Patients randomized to the control group will receive a saline bolus followed by an infusion of normal saline with rate changes and plasma sampling points just as in the lidocaine treatment group. Cognitive testing will occur preoperatively (baseline), at six-weeks, and one year after surgery. An additional aim will be to determine the effect of lidocaine infusion upon short and long-term quality of life. Our proposed approach to measurement of quality of life for this study involves the use of a battery of well-tested and well-validated instruments that together cover the relevant domains of interest.

Transcranial direct current brain stimulation is a non-invasive way that has shown motor recovery for stroke patients. This study will investigate the best current and electrode placement for tDCS in stroke patients.

This is an observational study designed to evaluate the utility of the S-STREAM as an instrument to assess motor function between 24 and 48 hours after the onset of a nonhemorrhagic ischemic stroke. There will be no study drug administered or any other study required therapeutic interventions. Subjects will receive standard of care based on MUSC's institutional policy. This study will enroll a total of 120 male and female subjects with first onset acute ischemic stroke admitted to an acute care emergency center or inpatient facility may be elligible based on time of onset of stroke. Study will consist of 6 scheduled visits over the course of approximately 3 months during which stroke assessment scales will be administered on Days 1 (between 24 and 48 hours [as close to 24 hours as possible and not later than 48 hours), Days 3, 7, 28, 56 and 84 following the onset of the stroke.