This thesis focuses on the development of a robotic device to be used in parallel with observational learning techniques for facilitating the recovery of the upper limb in post-stroke patients. It has been shown in the existing observational learning literature that observational practice for the execution of goal-directed single arm movements can engage the mirror neuron system and motor areas involved in learning motor actions. On the other hand, robotic-based therapy protocols have proven successful in which participants are able to learn the required perception-action skill. However, robotics have not been overly successful in the generalization of learning to other tasks and this is an essential aspect on improving performance on Activities of Daily Life (ADL). Observational learning of motor skills has been shown to produce transfer across limbs and generalization across muscle groups in the same limb, as well as transfer to perceptual tasks. Therefore, our long-term hypothesis is that a combination of interactive robotics and action observation techniques might offer a greater benefit regarding transfer to ADLs in comparison to pure robotic training. The results from this research broaden the theoretical understanding of observational learning and drive the future development of rehabilitation protocols using the combination of robotic and observational learning techniques. We hypothesize that if the application of these techniques, for non-stroke individuals, yield benefits for the learning of motor/skill actions, then such paradigm will serve as a foundation in the future development of methods for facilitating the recovery of upper limb function after stroke.

No description available.

Donat el nivell d'incidència i impacte de l'ictus, hi ha la necessitat de trobar mètodes de rehabilitació més automatitzats que els actuals. Un candidat prometedor és la Realitat Virtual, on múltiples sistemes ja han estat proposats. Malauradament, encara no és coneixen exactament quins són els beneficis d'aquests sistemes en comparació amb mètodes de rehabilitació convencionals. Aquí presentem el raonament, disseny, desenvolupament i resultats en l'impacte clínic d'un d'aquests sistemes, el Rehabilitation Gaming System (RGS). El RGS combina conceptes d'execució i observació d'accions amb una avaluació psicomètrica per proporcionar un entrenament personalitzat i automatitzat al pacient d'ictus. El RGS s'adapta al usuari d'una manera efectiva, i així permet l'aplicació de protocols de rehabilitació personalitzats amb una supervisió mínima. Els nostres resultats mostren que la rehabilitació amb el RGS facilita la recuperació funcional de les extremitats superiors en les fases aguda i crònica de l'ictus, i que per aquest motiu, el RGS és una eina valuosa per a la rehabilitació.Given the high incidence and impact of stroke, the need has arisen to find more automated and self-managed rehabilitation approaches. A promising candidate is the use of Virtual Reality, and a number of systems have been proposed. Thus far, however, it is not clear what the benefits of these systems are when compared to conventional methods. Here we present the rationale, development and results on the clinical impact of one such system, the Rehabilitation Gaming System (RGS). RGS combines concepts of action execution and observation with a psychometric evaluation to provide a personalized and automated training. The RGS effectively adjusts to the individual features of the user, allowing for a minimally supervised deployment of individualized rehabilitation protocols. Our results show that rehabilitation with the RGS facilitates the functional recovery of the upper extremities in the acute and chronic stages of stroke, and that this system is therefore a valuable tool for rehabilitation.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Melbourne, School of Physics, 2001. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 124-135).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 2008. / Title from first page of PDF file (viewed September 24, 2008). Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 133-135).

GAEDE, Tobias Sandino. Vídeo especular. 2011. 106f. Vídeo especular. – Dissertação (Mestrado) – Universidade Federal do Ceará, Instituto de Cultura e Arte, Programa de Pós-graduação em Comunicação Social, Fortaleza (CE), 2011. / Submitted by Márcia Araújo (marcia_m_bezerra@yahoo.com.br) on 2014-04-01T14:58:29Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2011-DIS-TSGAEDE.pdf: 1191680 bytes, checksum: 079b4b489c836e65b6575587213766ac (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Márcia Araújo(marcia_m_bezerra@yahoo.com.br) on 2014-04-01T17:09:47Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2011-DIS-TSGAEDE.pdf: 1191680 bytes, checksum: 079b4b489c836e65b6575587213766ac (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2014-04-01T17:09:47Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2011-DIS-TSGAEDE.pdf: 1191680 bytes, checksum: 079b4b489c836e65b6575587213766ac (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / This research analyzes the videoinstallation “Trindade”, recognizing in it the aspects of trinitarian composition of their conceptual elements (triads theoretical categorization, dialectical method, trinitarian theology) and materials (equipment, methods of image generation, optical phenomena and the production of synthetic color), and establish parallels between the image generated by it and the image produced by the tool of the mirror. / Esta pesquisa analisa a videoinstalação “Trindade”, reconhecendo nela aspectos relacionados à composição trinitária de seus elementos conceituais (tríades teóricas, categorização, método dialético, teologia trinitária) e materiais (equipamentos, modos de geração da imagem, fenômenos óticos e de produção de cores sintéticas), além de se estabelecer paralelos da imagem por ela gerada àquela produzida pela ferramenta do espelho.

Comment définir la déroutante pensée de Bonaventure ? Étienne Gilson y voyait à l’œuvre une « logique de l’analogie », tandis que Hans Urs von Balthasar la présentait comme une « monadologie sans harmonie préétablie ». Dans les deux cas, c’est l’expressionnisme du Docteur séraphique qui se trouve mis en valeur : les créatures représentent leur Créateur par tout leur être, et le Créateur lui-même exprime ses créatures. Toutefois, cet expressionnisme universel et divin n’est que la face visible d’une structure dynamique et tripartite plus vaste que l’on peut appeler, en s’appuyant sur d’importantes déclarations de Bonaventure, la logique de la ressemblance. S’émancipant des restrictions et des interdits dionysiens et augustiniens, Bonaventure a étendu le champ sémantique et conceptuel de similitudo en réunissant sous ce vocable toutes les entités « mineures », c’est-à-dire tous les êtres dépendant radicalement d’une origine qu’ils expriment et vers laquelle ils reconduisent ou sont reconduits : le Fils, les créatures images, les créatures vestiges, les espèces sensibles, etc. Dans ce dispositif dont l’homme et le Christ occupent le centre, c’est la réconciliation du ciel et de la terre, de Dieu et du monde, de la théologie et de la métaphysique, que Bonaventure donne à voir. / Bonaventure’s puzzling thought seems to challenge any attempt to define it. Étienne Gilson saw it as a « logic of analogy », while Hans Urs von Balthasar summed it up as a « monadology without preestablished harmony ». Both of them thus emphasize the seraphic Doctor’s expressionism : each creature represents its Creator through its whole being, and the Creator himself expresses his creatures. However, this universal and divine expressionism is but the visible side of a dynamic and threefold structure that we suggest to call, according to several Bonaventure’s important texts, the logic of resemblance. Liberating himself from Dionysian and Augustinian restrictions and proscriptions, Bonaventure broadened the semantic and conceptual field of similitudo by gathering in this noun all « minor » entities, i.e. all beings that completely depend on an origin that they express and towards which they lead or are led back : these are the Son, the image creatures, the vestige creatures, the sensible likenesses (species), etc. Throughout this device, whose center is occupied by the human being and Christ, Bonaventure makes us see the reconciliation of heaven with earth, of the world with God, of theology with metaphysics.

A obra escrita de Tarkovski e o filme O Espelho são analisados à luz da teoria psicanalítica da interpretação dos sonhos articulando conceitos vindos de outros campos do conhecimento, quais sejam inconsciente ótico e choque em Walter Benjamin. O filme se passa em lugares do passado de Tarkovski, evocados a partir de lembranças encobridoras, sonhos e devaneios, em que o cineasta é espectador e ator. Há a referência, no título e ao longo das cenas, ao espelho, também usado por Lacan, como modelo de dispositivo ótico, ao teorizar sobre a formação da função do “Eu”. Através desta análise, pretendeu-se aproximar a linguagem do filme à linguagem do sonho, encontrando conteúdos oníricos latentes. São analisadas as filiações e influências, o roteiro, e aquilo que fala nas lembranças de infância, nos sonhos e devaneios associados às tradições culturais russas, ao poeta Puchkin e a Dostoievski. Identificam-se aspectos do pensamento utópico e articulações psicanalíticas na cena do devaneio do personagem Ignat. Também são comentadas articulações à estética do choque em Walter Benjamin, nas cenas de déjà vu de Ignat e no fenômeno análogo que acometeu Maria na cena da tipografia. O conceito de Outra cena, do campo freudiano, é contextualizado na discussão do filme e também cotejado com elementos da teoria platônica apontados por Lacan em seus seminários. Finalmente, a cena de levitação de Maria é comparada com a cena da pintura de Füssli The Nightmare e interpretada como sendo de um sonho de angústia. / Tarkovski's written work and the film The Mirror are analyzed in the light of psychoanalytic theory of interpretation of dreams being articulated with concepts from other fields of knowledge, such as optic unconscious and shock at Walter Benjamin’s writings. The film takes place somewhere in Tarkovski’s past, evoked from screen memories, dreams and daydreams, in which the filmmaker is a spectator and an actor at a time. There is a reference, in the title and throughout the scenes, to the mirror, which is also used by Lacan, as the model of an optical device, in theorizing about the formation of the function of the "self". Through this analysis, it was intended to approximate the language of the film to the language of the dream and find latent dreams contents. The affiliations and influences, the script, and what he talks about in the memories of childhood, the dreams and daydreams associated with Russian cultural traditions, the poet Puchkin and Dostoyevsky are analyzed. We identify aspects of utopian thinking and psychoanalytic articulations in the scene of Ignat's daydream. Similarly, articulations among the aesthetics of the shock in Walter Benjamin, in the déjà vu scenes of Ignat and in the analogous phenomenon that rushed Maria in the typography scene are also commented in this work. The concept of Other scene, from the freudian field, is contextualized in the discussion of the film and also compared with elements of the platonic theory pointed out by Lacan in his seminars. Finally, the levitation scene of Mary is compared to the painting scene of Füssli The Nightmare and interpreted as being of a dream of anguish.

Esse trabalho versa sobre a perspectiva de atualização da função especular. Tendo como base as obras “O Espelho” (1882), de Machado de Assis; O retrato de Dorian Gray (1891), de Oscar Wilde; “A mulher no espelho: reflexo e reflexão” (1929), de Virgínia Woolf; “Espelho” (1997), de José J. Veiga; e O homem duplicado (2002), de José Saramago, importa analisar a trajetória de evolução do espelho – a qual acompanha o desenvolvimento do cenário literário – assim como a sua relevante significação perante as narrativas. No século XIX, Machado de Assis retrata a capacidade de suprir a falta do olhar do outro, revelando o desaparecimento da individualidade do sujeito e expondo a importância atribuída à alma exterior; em Oscar Wilde, é a função especular quem faz o narcisista Dorian descobrir-se no retrato e, depois, perceber sua verdadeira essência maculada por ações egoístas. Nos século XX e XXI, com a contribuição das teorias psicanalíticas de Freud e de Otto Rank, que dão novos contornos para a questão da consciência do sujeito, Virgínia Woolf narra a descoberta da verdade que ninguém conseguia encontrar – o vazio interior; J. J. Veiga desloca o foco narrativo para o objeto, que revela a qualidade e a veracidade da alma interior; e Saramago discute a falta de singularidade do sujeito e o reconhecimento pelo outro. A função principal do espelho é revelar a verdade que está mascarada e instigar um processo de reconhecimento, de estranhamento entre imagem e reflexo, dialogando, frequentemente, com a temática do duplo e a do fantástico. / This dissertation is about the update perspective of mirror’s function. Based on the works “O Espelho” (1882), by Machado de Assis; The picture of Dorian Gray (1891), by Oscar Wilde; The Lady in the looking-glass (1929), by Virgínia Woolf; Espelho (1997), by José J. Veiga e O homem duplicado (2002), by José Saramago, it’s important to analyze the mirror’s evolution path – which comes with the literary scene development – as well as the relevant significance before the narratives. In the nineteenth century, Machado de Assis portrays the ability to address the lack of the other’s gaze, revealing the subject’s individuality disappearance and points out the importance attached to the exterior soul; in Oscar Wilde, it’s the mirror’s function that makes narcissist Dorian discover himself on the portrait and, after, realizes his truth essence which is tainted by selfish actions. In the XX and XXI centuries, with the psychoanalytic theories’ contribution from Freud and Otto Rank, which offers new perspectives to the subject’s consciousness issue, Virgínia Woolf narrates the discover of truth that nobody could find – the blank inside; J. J. Veiga dislocates the narrative focus to the object, which reveals the quality and the veracity of interior soul and Saramago discusses subject’s lack of uniqueness and recognition by the other. The mirror’s main function is to reveal the truth that is masquerade and to instigate a recognition process, an uncanny between image and reflection, dialoguing, often, with the doppelganger and the fantastic theme.

Le concept de "cognition incarnée" considère que le schéma classique Perception-Cognition-Action proposant un flux séquentiel de traitement de l’information n'est pas approprié pour comprendre l'effet comportemental des troubles neurodégénératifs et trouver des solutions thérapeutiques innovantes. La découverte des neurones miroirs (NM) a donné un substrat biologique à cette théorie: on pense maintenant que les NM relient les connaissances sur les actions et les perceptions non seulement pour intégrer la perception dans la planification et l'exécution, mais aussi pour soutenir un large éventail de fonctions cognitives, par ex. empathie et langage. En même temps, il est maintenant clair que dans chaque maladie neurodégénérative les symptômes cognitifs et moteurs sont représentés le long d'un continuum. Les maladies neurodégénératives liées au vieillissement, comme la maladie d'Alzheimer (MA), la forme la plus courante de démence, sont devenues un enjeu social très important. Comme il n'y a pas de remède pour la MA, les études se concentrent sur la prévention. Une catégorie qui représente maintenant une cible privilégiée est le trouble cognitif léger (TCL), considéré comme une étape intermédiaire entre le vieillissement normal et la MA. Même si MA et TCL ont été caractérisées comme des maladies «cognitives» jusqu'à présent, un lien entre la fonction motrice et le risque de développer la MA a été reconnu.Le but principal de cette recherche est d'étudier l'intégrité du réseau NM dans la MA, le TCL et le vieillissement normal. La caractérisation de son fonctionnement dans les maladies neurodégénératives serait utile pour une meilleure compréhension de leurs mécanismes fonctionnels et manifestations cliniques. Cela permettrait également d’exploiter le NM dans la réhabilitation des symptômes.La thèse comprend deux parties : la première inclue une vaste recherche bibliographique destinée à décrire le cadre scientifique qui justifie une telle recherche.Nous avons d'abord passé en revue les preuves sur l'existence d'un système NM chez les singes et les humains, et ses multiples rôles possibles et après brièvement décrit le tableau clinique des principaux troubles neurodégénératifs, en montrant comment les symptômes cognitifs et moteurs s’entrecroisent. Ensuite, nous avons détaillé les résultats de la recherche documentaire sur les maladies neurodégénératives, NM et cognition incarnée, en les commentant à la lumière de cette théorie.La deuxième partie de la thèse décrit la procédure expérimentale qui a été réalisée dans le but de la recherche.Trois groupes appariés de 16 sujets chacun (CA-contrôles âgées, TCL amnésique avec atrophie hippocampique et MA) ont été évalués avec une batterie neuropsychologique centrée sur les fonctions liées au système NM, et une tâche IRMf spécifiquement créée pour tester les NM: celle- ci était constituée d'une tache d’observation, où aux sujets ont été montrés des vidéos d'une main droite saisissant différents objets, et d'une tache motrice où les sujets ont observé des images d'objets orientés pour être saisis avec la main droite, et ont fait le geste correspondant.Chez les CA, l'analyse de conjonction (comparant l'activation de l'IRMf pendant l'observation et l'exécution) a indiqué l'activation d'un réseau bilatéral fronto-pariétal dans les zones NM « classiques» et du gyrus temporal supérieur (STG), entrée visuelle corticale aux NM. Le groupe TCL a montré une activation similaire, cependant, les zones pariétales ont été moins activées et le STG n'a pas été activé, tandis que l'inverse était vrai pour la zone de Broca droite. Nous n'avons observé aucune activation du réseau fronto-pariétal chez le groupe MA. Dans tous les tests neuropsychologiques (y compris les tests de fonctions attribuées à NM), les sujets MA ont été plus mauvais que les CA, alors que les sujets TCL montraient seulement des troubles de mémoire épisodique et fluidité sémantique (...). / The concept of “embodied cognition” considers that the classical Perception-Cognition-Action architecture proposing a sequential flow of processing with clean cuts between all modules is not appropriate to understand the behavioral effect of neurodegenerative disorders and to find innovative therapeutic solutions. In the last decades, the discovery of the mirror neurons (MN) has given a biological substrate to this theoretical perspective: the MN are now thought linking together knowledge about actions and perceptions not only to integrate perception in action planning and execution but also as a neural mechanism supporting a wide range of cognitive functions, e.g. empathy and language. At the same time, it is now clear that in each neurodegenerative disease both cognitive and motor symptoms are represented along a continuum. In the current demographic context, neurodegenerative diseases linked to aging have become a very important social issue. Alzheimer Disease (AD), the most common form of dementia, is a neurodegenerative disease strictly linked to aging. As actually there is no cure, several studies are focusing on prevention. A category which now represents a preferential target of intervention is Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), considered as an intermediate stage between normal aging and AD. Even if AD and MCI have been characterized as “cognitive” diseases until now, a link between motor function and the risk of developing AD has been recognized.The main purpose of this research is to investigate the integrity of the MN network in AD, MCI and normal aging. Characterizing the functioning of the MN network in neurodegenerative diseases would be useful to better understand functional mechanisms and their clinical manifestations. It would also allow to capitalize on these kinds of neurons in the rehabilitation of motor and cognitive symptoms.The thesis consists of two parts: the first part includes an extensive bibliographic research intended to describe the scientific frame which justifies such a research.We first reviewed the evidence about the existence of a MN system in monkeys and humans, and its multiple possible roles in humans.We then briefly reviewed the clinical picture of the main neurodegenerative disorders, showing how cognitive and motor symptoms intersect in all of them.Next, we detailed the results of literature searching on neurodegenerative diseases, MN, and embodied cognition, commenting them at the light of this hypothesis.The second part of the thesis describe the experimental procedure which has been performed to evaluate the integrity of the MN network in normal elderly and people with AD and MCI, and its results.Three matched groups of 16 subjects each (normal elderly-NE, amnesic MCI with hippocampal atrophy and AD) were evaluated with a neuropsychological battery centered on functions thought to be linked to the MN system, and a fMRI task specifically created to test MN: that comprised of an observation run, where subjects were shown videos of a right hand grasping different objects, and of a motor run, where subjects observed visual pictures of objects oriented to be grasped with the right hand, and made the corresponding gesture.In NE subjects, the conjunction analysis (comparing fMRI activation during observation and execution), indicated the activation of a bilateral fronto-parietal network in “classical” MN areas, and of the superior temporal gyrus (STG), an area thought to provide the cortical visual input to the MN. The MCI group showed the activation of areas belonging to the same network, however, parietal areas were activated to a lesser extent and the STG was not activated, while the opposite was true for the right Broca’s area. We did not observe any activation of the fronto-parietal network in AD participants (...).