Development of a three-channel automatic climbing training system for rat rehabilitation after ischemic stroke

This paper reports the development of a three-channel automatic speed-matching climbing training system that could train three rats at the same time for rehabilitation after an ischemic stroke. An infrared (IR) remote sensor was installed at the end of each channel to monitor the real-time position of a climbing rat. This research was carried out in five stages: i) system design; ii) hardware circuit; iii) running speed control; iv) functional testing; and v) verification using an animal model of cerebral stroke. The rehabilitated group significantly outperformed the middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo) sedentary group in the rota-rod and inclined plate tests 21 days after a stroke. The rehabilitated group also had a cerebral infarction volume of 28.34±19.4%, far below 56.81±18.12% of the MCAo group 28 days after the stroke, validating the effectiveness of this training platform for stroke rehabilitation. The running speed of the climbing rehabilitation training platform was designed to adapt to the physical conditions of subjects, and overtraining injuries can be completely prevented accordingly.

本论文报道了一款三通道自动调速攀爬训练系统的研发成果，该系统可同时对三只大鼠开展缺血性脑卒中(ischemic stroke)后的康复训练。每个通道的末端均安装有红外(IR)远程传感器，用于实时监测攀爬训练大鼠的位置。本研究共分为五个阶段：i）系统设计；ii）硬件电路实现；iii）运行速度调控；iv）功能测试；v）脑卒中动物模型验证。造模后21天，康复训练组在转棒实验(rota-rod)与倾斜板实验(inclined plate test)中的表现均显著优于大脑中动脉闭塞(MCAo)久坐组。造模后28天，康复训练组的脑梗死体积(cerebral infarction volume)为28.34±19.4%，远低于MCAo组的56.81±18.12%，验证了该训练平台应用于脑卒中康复的有效性。本攀爬康复训练平台的运行速度可根据受试对象的身体状况自适应调节，由此可完全避免过度训练引发的损伤。