Visual attention, EEG alpha power and T7-Fz connectivity are implicated in prosthetic hand control and can be optimized through gaze training.
J V V Parr, S J Vine, M R Wilson and 2 others
PMID 31029174WHAT IT FOUND
In able-bodied users of a prosthetic hand simulator, gaze training led to faster task performance than movement instruction, more target-focused gaze, and reduced a brain signal associated with conscious verbal control.
Key findings
01Gaze training led to faster coin task performance than movement training after baseline and the first training visit.
02Gaze training increased target-focused gaze and produced faster gaze shifts at retention and delayed retention.
03Gaze training reduced T7-Fz connectivity from baseline to delayed retention, while movement training did not.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Participants were able-bodied people using a prosthetic hand simulator, not people with limb loss, so the findings may not apply to amputees. The sample was small, and the second experiment had missing EEG data: one participant was removed from analysis and three tea-task EEG records could not be analysed. The tea-making transfer task showed no group difference in performance time, so the benefit did not clearly extend to speed on that complex task. EEG data were segmented relative to movement events, so the exact movement portion analysed may vary from trial to trial. The analysis was limited to the alpha frequency band, so other brain rhythms were not examined.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that gaze training is proven for amputee prosthetic hand users. The participants were able-bodied people using a simulator, the sample was small, and transfer task performance times did not differ between groups.