PMC8417438_01
Experimental setup. (A) Experimental protocol - functional electrical stimulation therapy (FEST) was delivered over the course of 12-weeks with three sessions per week and each session lasting 45-60 min. Long-term assessments were carried out at baseline (Pre), after 6- and 12-weeks of FEST (During and Post0), as well as during follow-up 6- and 12-weeks after FEST (Post1 and Post2) and they included: functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), drawing tests, and clinical test evaluations. Short-term assessments were carried out once per week over the course of 12-weeks to compare before and after each FEST session using TMS assessments. (B) Each FEST training session consisted of three functional training protocols including the palmar grasp - to generate hand opening, hand-mouth - to generate elbow and shoulder flexion, and point forward - to generate hand pointing forward, by activating a sequence of muscles activations.
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F1
The FEST training protocol is summarized in Figure 1. Training was delivered over the course of 3-months (12-weeks), with 3 sessions per week, each lasting 45-60 min (Figure 1A). Each FEST session consisted of three functional training protocols, consistent to previous FEST protocols ( and), which are illustrated in Figure 1B (see Supplementary Materials: FES). Timeline of assessments is summarized in Figure 1A.