SoMoWalk · SoMoWalk: Communicating walking movement through sonification.

In the EU, stroke is the second most common cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability, affecting the ability to walk in 60%-80% of people suffering a stroke. In 2017, the cost associated with stroke was estimated at €45 billion. As populations continue to live to an older age, the corresponding costs are expected to increase dramatically. New non-invasive motor learning techniques based on sensory-based rehabilitation are needed. Movement sonification implies a translation of movement signals into sound, thus allowing communication of movement performance through sounds. The long-term goal of the present project is to open new avenues for introducing a new sensory rehabilitation approach, based on sonification, which will allow for inducing body illusions and creating virtual environments, treating motor disorders, as well as for inducing changes in distorted body representation after a brain injury. To date, none investigated the impact of sonification associated with a walking movement on the motor and sensorimotor cortex. On a neural level, EEG can be used to measure motor learning and bodily sensory integration, which is linked to body representation. Our short-term goal is to develop a deeper characterization of the type of sounds that can be used for motor learning through sonification, and how this will impact the sensorimotor and motor cortex, focusing on the rehabilitation of the walking ability. The project has the following specific aims: 1_Evaluate the impact of sonification on walking ability as indexed by neural markers on the sensorimotor and primary motor cortex in healthy subjects(WP2); 2_Characterize the specific sounds that will be tested for walking rehabilitation through an interactive shoe interface system in patients with stroke(WP3); 3_Investigate the possible correlations between the improvement in gait parameters and changes in body representation and bodily experience in patients with stroke when using sonification(WP3).