A tele-monitoring system for performance evaluation of motor task in fMRI environment

In order to study the stroke rehabilitation by acupuncture stimulation at motor zone of scalp acupuncture, a tele-monitoring system for performance evaluation of motor task in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) environment is developed is this paper. Because the monitoring system needs to be magnetic-field compatible, an optical-fiber-based data glove is applied to detect subtle motor behavior of stroke patients during recovery. The percentage of movement range is also developed as an index to quantify hand motor performance. The understanding of correlation of the motor task and the brain activity can therefore be greatly improved in depth. The presented monitoring system also helps rehabilitation planning and understanding of recovery progress via the integration of motor task and fMRI.