User:Bokkyu Kim/sandbox

Assignment 3

Although research in 'Motor Learning' and 'Stroke Rehabilitation' started growing in 1990, the use of motor learning concept in stroke rehabilitation started growing in 2000. So I assumed that there are two main factors which influence the increase in the amount of studies in motor learning after stroke.

First, there were few key research papers which open the door for this area. Nudo et al. (1996) suggested that functional reorganization occurs in the motor cortex of adult monkeys after a focal ischemic brain injury when the monkeys went through physical training. After this paper was published, many studies in neurologic rehabilitation domain focused on the neuroplasticity after stroke. Also, Krakauer (2006) published a nice review paper about the relationship between motor learning and functional recovery after stroke. Before these papers were published, most of rehabilitation treatment for individuals after stroke was related to reducing spasticity and improving range of motion. On the other hand, the concept of rehabilitation treatment for post-stroke individuals changed to more active training to facilitate neuroplasticity and skill acquisition after these papers published. These two key papers opened a new research paradigm in neurorehabilitation. I researched the citation number of these papers, and the number of citation of these papers are about 47 and 24 per year respectively. Also, most of research papers related to motor learning after stroke cited these two papers. In addition to these two papers, there is one more paper which contribute to the motor learning paradigm in functional recovery after stroke: The EXCITE trial. In this study, the authors also focused on the motor learning aspect of motor recovery after stroke, and this article has been cited by a number of research articles. The number of citation of this paper is about 72 per year after it is published in 2006. This paper is the first paper which applied the motor learning paradigm in motor recovery in clinical settings. Thus, these papers start shifting paradigm of motor recovery after stroke, and it leads to motor learning paradigm in stroke recovery.

Second, emerging new technology in neuroimage could be a possible reason why the motor learning after stroke area is growing. Neuroimaging techniques such as function Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) allow to explore the brain, and help to research the changes in the brain after rehabilitative training for individuals after stroke. These neuroimaging techniques have been used since early 1990's, but researchers started using these techniques more for motor learning study in the early 2000's. I researched with these keywords about the number of papers published. First I searched with 'fMRI and Motor Learning' from web of science to understand the trend of motor learning studies with fMRI. Also, I searched with 'TMS and Motor Learning'. The trends in publication of 'fMRI and Motor Learning' and 'TMS and Motor Learning' is quite similar, and these trends are also similar to the trend in 'Motor Learning after Stroke' study area. Thus, I could say that the emerging technology in neuroimaging techniques may contribute to the increase in the number of study in motor learning after stroke.

Assignment 4

Figure 1. The publication trend of motor learning area related to motor recovery after stroke

Figure 2. The publication trend of motor learning studies using fMRI

Figure 3. The publication trend of motor learning studies using TMS

Figure 4. The publication trend of stroke rehabilitation

Figure 5. The publication trend of motor learning

Figure 6. The publication trend of fMRI

Figure 7. The publication trend of TMS

Assignment 5

Figure 8. Velocity profile of a goal-directed arm reaching movement