From neuromotor command to feedback: A survey of techniques for rehabilitation through altered perception

As a result of accidents or illnesses more and more people suffer from permanent physical disability. It is critical for their quality of life that rehabilitation techniques progress at a fast pace, in order to provide them with the chance to live as independently as possible. The degree of independence can be increased by improving the physical capacities to the greatest possible extent. An aspect that seems to have a great potential is neural plasticity: the ability of the human brain to rebuild lost neural pathways around the lost tissue. One procedure that seems to help this process is observing the movement through visual feedback. When actual feedback is not available - due to the existing disability - it is possible that an artificial or amplified feedback may `trick' the brain into believing that the motor action was performed - thus learning that the command is correct and a pathway must be created for it. In this article we survey some of the existing literature regarding the ability to `fool' the brain by providing an amplified feedback in order to stimulate the plasticity process. The conclusions of this research will be used in the TRAVEE project.