Giuseppe Cavallo | Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma (original) (raw)

Papers by Giuseppe Cavallo

The First IEEE/RAS-EMBS International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics, 2006. BioRob 2006.

Abstract—Movement and behaviour analysis is a key re-search area in the domain of biomedical engi... more Abstract—Movement and behaviour analysis is a key re-search area in the domain of biomedical engineering and in many other medical research domains aiming at the under-standing of physiological motor and cognitive basic mecha-nisms. The systematic application of robotic and ...

Conference proceedings : ... Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. Annual Conference, 2005

This work represents a first step towards the development of a sensorised environment for behavio... more This work represents a first step towards the development of a sensorised environment for behavioral phenotyping of animal models. In particular, this paper focuses on tremor analysis in reeler mice, an emerging potential animal model for anatomical and behavioral traits observed in autism. Ground Reaction Force (GRF) sensing is indeed the most direct means of measuring tremor. Although force platforms have extensively been used for large size animals, only few attempts have been made to measure GRF at a single paw for animals as small as mice or rats. Under the hypothesis that in-plane GRF components are directly connected to tremor, a small size, low-cost, 2-axis force sensor for measuring the in-plane components of GRF was designed and developed. Special care was paid to allow self-aligned assembly for repeatability and modularity for combining multiple platforms for a sensorised floor. Preliminarily testing was performed with both reeler and wildtype mice. Fourier analysis was d...

Restorative neurology and neuroscience, 2012

In the chronic phase of stroke brain plasticity plays a crucial role for further motor control im... more In the chronic phase of stroke brain plasticity plays a crucial role for further motor control improvements. This study aims to assess the brain plastic reorganizations and their association with clinical progresses induced by a robot-aided rehabilitation program in chronic stroke patients. 7 stroke patients with an upper limb motor impairment in chronic phase underwent a multi-modal evaluation before starting and at the end of a 12-week upper-limb neurorehabilitation program. Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) Scale scores and performance indices of hand movement performance (isometric pinch monitored through a visual feedback) were collected. Cerebral reorganizations were characterized by 32-channel electroencephalography (EEG) focusing on ipsilesional and contralesional resting state properties investigating both bipolar derivations overlying the middle cerebral artery territory and the primary somatosensory sources (S1) obtained through the Functional Source Separation (FSS) method. Po...

2012 4th IEEE RAS & EMBS International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics (BioRob), 2012

Applications of robotics and mechatronics to neuroreha-bilitation are getting more and more conse... more Applications of robotics and mechatronics to neuroreha-bilitation are getting more and more consensus in the clin-ical community thanks to early encouraging results. They enable an objective assessment of patient's motor recovery and the administration of rehabilitation treatments ...

NeuroImage, 2009

We investigated the event-related desynchronization (ERD) and synchronization (ERS) properties of... more We investigated the event-related desynchronization (ERD) and synchronization (ERS) properties of cortical EEG rhythms in regions of interest (ROI) during the preparation of a 2D task for manual catching of a moving object. EEG signals were recorded through a 32-channel system in eleven healthy subjects during the interception task consisting of 2D catching with the right hand of a handle moving at constant velocity (1.5 m/s) on a predefined straight trajectory. The first session of catching movements (CATCHING_PRE) was compared with a second session after 1 h with identical characteristics (CATCHING_POST) and with other two conditions, where the subjects had to reach and grasp the handle fixed in the medium of platform (REACHING) and they looked at the object moving without catching it (GAZE TRACKING). Changes of cortical rhythms were correlated with dynamic and kinematic indexes of motor performance in both catching sessions. Movements requiring different strategies (predictive versus prospective) are supported by specific changes of cortical EEG rhythms: in the CATCHING condition a more evident power decrease (ERD) in alpha 2 and beta band in the sensorimotor region contralateral to the catching hand was observed, while in the REACHING one a bilateral ERD in beta band was found. Motor learning and movement automatization were characterized by a significant reduction of theta ERS in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), a ROI linked to focused attention, and with a shift of neuronal activation in alpha 2 band from the bilateral superior parietal areas to the homologous area of the left hemisphere. Finally, our EEG findings are consistent with the role of supplementary motor (SMA), premotor and prefrontal areas in motor planning and preparation. In particular, theta ERS in left SMA significantly correlated with an improvement of motor performance, as evidenced by its correlation with the training-related reduction of interception time (IT).

Clinical Neurophysiology, 2008

to a random sequence in 7th block, indicated that participants learned the regularities of the se... more to a random sequence in 7th block, indicated that participants learned the regularities of the sequence they were presented within the SRT. Grand averaged ERPs showed that a larger positive potential (P2) appeared around 200 ms after stimuli onset over the fronto-medial and central areas. The P2 component showed larger amplitudes with more learning, and were highly correlated with RT (r = 0.93). To reveal the source of this learning-related potential we did a current density analysis for each learning block using LORETA and found that a high density source was located in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) (Talairach coordinates, x, y, z: 4, 10, 43) in more learning blocks, but in the occipital lobe during the random block (x, y, z: 46, -74, 8). These results indicated that ERP component reflects sequence learning and continuous change in knowledge, and that the ACC is essential neural substrate for the implicit sequence learning.

Clinical Neurophysiology, 2010

Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, 2010

Recent research has successfully introduced the application of robotics and mechatronics to funct... more Recent research has successfully introduced the application of robotics and mechatronics to functional assessment and motor therapy. Measurements of movement initiation in isometric conditions are widely used in clinical rehabilitation and their importance in functional assessment has been demonstrated for specific parts of the human body. The determination of the voluntary movement initiation time, also referred to as onset time, represents a challenging issue since the time window characterizing the movement onset is of particular relevance for the understanding of recovery mechanisms after a neurological damage. Establishing it manually as well as a troublesome task may also introduce oversight errors and loss of information.

Advanced Robotics, 2008

Movement and behavior analysis is a key research area in the domain of biomedical engineering and... more Movement and behavior analysis is a key research area in the domain of biomedical engineering and in many other medical research domains aiming at the understanding of physiological motor and cognitive basic mechanisms. The systematic application of robotic and mechatronic technologies to realize new tools and measurement methods for quantitatively assessing motor and cognitive functions in humans as well as in animal models is gaining an increasing popularity. This work represents a first step towards the development of a sensorised environment for behavioral phenotyping of animal models. In particular, this paper focuses on tremor analysis in reeler mice, an emerging potential animal model for anatomical and behavioral traits observed in autism. Ground Reaction Force (GRF) sensing is indeed the most direct means of measuring tremor. Although force platforms have extensively been used for large size animals, only few attempts have been made to measure GRF at a single paw for animals as small as mice or rats. Under the hypothesis that in-plane GRF components are directly connected to tremor, a small size, modular, mechanically simple, 2-axis force sensor for measuring the in-plane components of GRF was designed and developed. Special care was paid to design a structure that allowed self-aligned assembly, for repeatability and modularity for combining multiple platforms for a sensorised floor. Thanks to the use of two different sensors (acceleration and distance sensors) an in-situ calibration procedure has been planned to be performed directly in Neuroscience labs without use of a structured environment and/or engineering skills. Preliminarily testing was performed with both reeler and wildtype mice. Fourier analysis validated the hypothesis of a direct connection between tremor and in-plane GRFs. Data analyzed and filtered highlight a peculiar spectrum frequency in Reeler mice tremor, centered at about 20 Hz.

Computer Methods and Programs in Biomedicine, 2013

The First IEEE/RAS-EMBS International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics, 2006. BioRob 2006.

Il territorio costiero calabrese, sia tirrenico che ionico, anche a causa della sua conformazione... more Il territorio costiero calabrese, sia tirrenico che ionico, anche a causa della sua conformazione geologica, ha permesso lo stanziamento di quei monaci che, provenienti dall'Oriente a causa delle invasioni dell'Islam in un primo periodo, e delle persecuzioni iconoclaste successivamente, realizzarono i loro insediamenti in grotte e ipogei. I monaci che arrivarono in questi territori, trovarono un tessuto culturale greco, che ben si coniugava con la provenienza culturale dei monaci, che anzi, con la loro presenza, fecero fiorire una civiltà colta e attiva, ben consapevole dell'importanza culturale delle loro origini greche. Questi monaci, infatti, furono portatori di unità linguistica (attraverso la κοινη, la lingua greca) e di cultura orientale, radicando uno stile di vita le cui tracce restano ancora evidenti oggi, dopo quasi 2 millenni. L'evidenza di questo patrimonio culturale che rappresenta un valore storico, culturale, religioso ed artistico, potrebbe diventare il punto di partenza per la rivitalizzazione di questo tessuto territoriale. La creazione di un itinerario "dei monaci greci di Calabria" potrebbe diventare un elemento fondamentale nelle politiche di valorizzazione del patrimonio culturale calabrese per un processo virtuoso di sviluppo, in quanto testimonianza di cultura e storia, ancora leggibile e riconoscibile, diffusa su tutto il territorio calabrese. Le grotte, gli eremi, i resti dei monasteri, le chiese bizantine, gli insediamenti rupestri sono la testimonianza della presenza dei monaci greci in oltre sette secoli di storia della Calabria. 2. Sulle orme del monachesimo "greco di Calabria" Il monachesimo bizantino, detto impropriamente "basiliano", si sviluppò inizialmente dall'Oriente ellenico ed in un secondo momento venne incrementato dall'emigra

2005 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, 2005

Movement and behavior analysis is a key research area in the domain of biomedical engineering and... more Movement and behavior analysis is a key research area in the domain of biomedical engineering and in many other medical research domains aiming at the understanding of physiological motor and cognitive basic mechanisms. The systematic application of robotic and mechatronic technologies to realize new tools and measurement methods for quantitatively assessing motor and cognitive functions in humans as well as

… 2006. BioRob 2006 …, 2006

Abstract—Movement and behaviour analysis is a key re-search area in the domain of biomedical engi... more Abstract—Movement and behaviour analysis is a key re-search area in the domain of biomedical engineering and in many other medical research domains aiming at the under-standing of physiological motor and cognitive basic mecha-nisms. The systematic application of robotic and ...

Recent research in the emerging field of Phenomics aims at developing unobtrusive and ecological ... more Recent research in the emerging field of Phenomics aims at developing unobtrusive and ecological technologies which allow monitoring the behavior of infants and toddlers. Orientation tracking devices based on accelerometers and magnetometers represent a very promising technology since orientation in 3D space can be derived by solely relying upon the direction of the natural geomagnetic and gravitational fields which constitute an absolute coordinate frame of reference, i.e. sourceless.

2005 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, 2005

Movement and behavior analysis is a key research area in the domain of biomedical engineering and... more Movement and behavior analysis is a key research area in the domain of biomedical engineering and in many other medical research domains aiming at the understanding of physiological motor and cognitive basic mechanisms. The systematic application of robotic and mechatronic technologies to realize new tools and measurement methods for quantitatively assessing motor and cognitive functions in humans as well as

The First IEEE/RAS-EMBS International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics, 2006. BioRob 2006.

Abstract—Movement and behaviour analysis is a key re-search area in the domain of biomedical engi... more Abstract—Movement and behaviour analysis is a key re-search area in the domain of biomedical engineering and in many other medical research domains aiming at the under-standing of physiological motor and cognitive basic mecha-nisms. The systematic application of robotic and ...

Conference proceedings : ... Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. Annual Conference, 2005

This work represents a first step towards the development of a sensorised environment for behavio... more This work represents a first step towards the development of a sensorised environment for behavioral phenotyping of animal models. In particular, this paper focuses on tremor analysis in reeler mice, an emerging potential animal model for anatomical and behavioral traits observed in autism. Ground Reaction Force (GRF) sensing is indeed the most direct means of measuring tremor. Although force platforms have extensively been used for large size animals, only few attempts have been made to measure GRF at a single paw for animals as small as mice or rats. Under the hypothesis that in-plane GRF components are directly connected to tremor, a small size, low-cost, 2-axis force sensor for measuring the in-plane components of GRF was designed and developed. Special care was paid to allow self-aligned assembly for repeatability and modularity for combining multiple platforms for a sensorised floor. Preliminarily testing was performed with both reeler and wildtype mice. Fourier analysis was d...

Restorative neurology and neuroscience, 2012

In the chronic phase of stroke brain plasticity plays a crucial role for further motor control im... more In the chronic phase of stroke brain plasticity plays a crucial role for further motor control improvements. This study aims to assess the brain plastic reorganizations and their association with clinical progresses induced by a robot-aided rehabilitation program in chronic stroke patients. 7 stroke patients with an upper limb motor impairment in chronic phase underwent a multi-modal evaluation before starting and at the end of a 12-week upper-limb neurorehabilitation program. Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) Scale scores and performance indices of hand movement performance (isometric pinch monitored through a visual feedback) were collected. Cerebral reorganizations were characterized by 32-channel electroencephalography (EEG) focusing on ipsilesional and contralesional resting state properties investigating both bipolar derivations overlying the middle cerebral artery territory and the primary somatosensory sources (S1) obtained through the Functional Source Separation (FSS) method. Po...

2012 4th IEEE RAS & EMBS International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics (BioRob), 2012

Applications of robotics and mechatronics to neuroreha-bilitation are getting more and more conse... more Applications of robotics and mechatronics to neuroreha-bilitation are getting more and more consensus in the clin-ical community thanks to early encouraging results. They enable an objective assessment of patient's motor recovery and the administration of rehabilitation treatments ...

NeuroImage, 2009

We investigated the event-related desynchronization (ERD) and synchronization (ERS) properties of... more We investigated the event-related desynchronization (ERD) and synchronization (ERS) properties of cortical EEG rhythms in regions of interest (ROI) during the preparation of a 2D task for manual catching of a moving object. EEG signals were recorded through a 32-channel system in eleven healthy subjects during the interception task consisting of 2D catching with the right hand of a handle moving at constant velocity (1.5 m/s) on a predefined straight trajectory. The first session of catching movements (CATCHING_PRE) was compared with a second session after 1 h with identical characteristics (CATCHING_POST) and with other two conditions, where the subjects had to reach and grasp the handle fixed in the medium of platform (REACHING) and they looked at the object moving without catching it (GAZE TRACKING). Changes of cortical rhythms were correlated with dynamic and kinematic indexes of motor performance in both catching sessions. Movements requiring different strategies (predictive versus prospective) are supported by specific changes of cortical EEG rhythms: in the CATCHING condition a more evident power decrease (ERD) in alpha 2 and beta band in the sensorimotor region contralateral to the catching hand was observed, while in the REACHING one a bilateral ERD in beta band was found. Motor learning and movement automatization were characterized by a significant reduction of theta ERS in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), a ROI linked to focused attention, and with a shift of neuronal activation in alpha 2 band from the bilateral superior parietal areas to the homologous area of the left hemisphere. Finally, our EEG findings are consistent with the role of supplementary motor (SMA), premotor and prefrontal areas in motor planning and preparation. In particular, theta ERS in left SMA significantly correlated with an improvement of motor performance, as evidenced by its correlation with the training-related reduction of interception time (IT).

Clinical Neurophysiology, 2008

to a random sequence in 7th block, indicated that participants learned the regularities of the se... more to a random sequence in 7th block, indicated that participants learned the regularities of the sequence they were presented within the SRT. Grand averaged ERPs showed that a larger positive potential (P2) appeared around 200 ms after stimuli onset over the fronto-medial and central areas. The P2 component showed larger amplitudes with more learning, and were highly correlated with RT (r = 0.93). To reveal the source of this learning-related potential we did a current density analysis for each learning block using LORETA and found that a high density source was located in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) (Talairach coordinates, x, y, z: 4, 10, 43) in more learning blocks, but in the occipital lobe during the random block (x, y, z: 46, -74, 8). These results indicated that ERP component reflects sequence learning and continuous change in knowledge, and that the ACC is essential neural substrate for the implicit sequence learning.

Clinical Neurophysiology, 2010

Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, 2010

Recent research has successfully introduced the application of robotics and mechatronics to funct... more Recent research has successfully introduced the application of robotics and mechatronics to functional assessment and motor therapy. Measurements of movement initiation in isometric conditions are widely used in clinical rehabilitation and their importance in functional assessment has been demonstrated for specific parts of the human body. The determination of the voluntary movement initiation time, also referred to as onset time, represents a challenging issue since the time window characterizing the movement onset is of particular relevance for the understanding of recovery mechanisms after a neurological damage. Establishing it manually as well as a troublesome task may also introduce oversight errors and loss of information.

Advanced Robotics, 2008

Movement and behavior analysis is a key research area in the domain of biomedical engineering and... more Movement and behavior analysis is a key research area in the domain of biomedical engineering and in many other medical research domains aiming at the understanding of physiological motor and cognitive basic mechanisms. The systematic application of robotic and mechatronic technologies to realize new tools and measurement methods for quantitatively assessing motor and cognitive functions in humans as well as in animal models is gaining an increasing popularity. This work represents a first step towards the development of a sensorised environment for behavioral phenotyping of animal models. In particular, this paper focuses on tremor analysis in reeler mice, an emerging potential animal model for anatomical and behavioral traits observed in autism. Ground Reaction Force (GRF) sensing is indeed the most direct means of measuring tremor. Although force platforms have extensively been used for large size animals, only few attempts have been made to measure GRF at a single paw for animals as small as mice or rats. Under the hypothesis that in-plane GRF components are directly connected to tremor, a small size, modular, mechanically simple, 2-axis force sensor for measuring the in-plane components of GRF was designed and developed. Special care was paid to design a structure that allowed self-aligned assembly, for repeatability and modularity for combining multiple platforms for a sensorised floor. Thanks to the use of two different sensors (acceleration and distance sensors) an in-situ calibration procedure has been planned to be performed directly in Neuroscience labs without use of a structured environment and/or engineering skills. Preliminarily testing was performed with both reeler and wildtype mice. Fourier analysis validated the hypothesis of a direct connection between tremor and in-plane GRFs. Data analyzed and filtered highlight a peculiar spectrum frequency in Reeler mice tremor, centered at about 20 Hz.

Computer Methods and Programs in Biomedicine, 2013

The First IEEE/RAS-EMBS International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics, 2006. BioRob 2006.

Il territorio costiero calabrese, sia tirrenico che ionico, anche a causa della sua conformazione... more Il territorio costiero calabrese, sia tirrenico che ionico, anche a causa della sua conformazione geologica, ha permesso lo stanziamento di quei monaci che, provenienti dall'Oriente a causa delle invasioni dell'Islam in un primo periodo, e delle persecuzioni iconoclaste successivamente, realizzarono i loro insediamenti in grotte e ipogei. I monaci che arrivarono in questi territori, trovarono un tessuto culturale greco, che ben si coniugava con la provenienza culturale dei monaci, che anzi, con la loro presenza, fecero fiorire una civiltà colta e attiva, ben consapevole dell'importanza culturale delle loro origini greche. Questi monaci, infatti, furono portatori di unità linguistica (attraverso la κοινη, la lingua greca) e di cultura orientale, radicando uno stile di vita le cui tracce restano ancora evidenti oggi, dopo quasi 2 millenni. L'evidenza di questo patrimonio culturale che rappresenta un valore storico, culturale, religioso ed artistico, potrebbe diventare il punto di partenza per la rivitalizzazione di questo tessuto territoriale. La creazione di un itinerario "dei monaci greci di Calabria" potrebbe diventare un elemento fondamentale nelle politiche di valorizzazione del patrimonio culturale calabrese per un processo virtuoso di sviluppo, in quanto testimonianza di cultura e storia, ancora leggibile e riconoscibile, diffusa su tutto il territorio calabrese. Le grotte, gli eremi, i resti dei monasteri, le chiese bizantine, gli insediamenti rupestri sono la testimonianza della presenza dei monaci greci in oltre sette secoli di storia della Calabria. 2. Sulle orme del monachesimo "greco di Calabria" Il monachesimo bizantino, detto impropriamente "basiliano", si sviluppò inizialmente dall'Oriente ellenico ed in un secondo momento venne incrementato dall'emigra

2005 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, 2005

Movement and behavior analysis is a key research area in the domain of biomedical engineering and... more Movement and behavior analysis is a key research area in the domain of biomedical engineering and in many other medical research domains aiming at the understanding of physiological motor and cognitive basic mechanisms. The systematic application of robotic and mechatronic technologies to realize new tools and measurement methods for quantitatively assessing motor and cognitive functions in humans as well as

… 2006. BioRob 2006 …, 2006

Abstract—Movement and behaviour analysis is a key re-search area in the domain of biomedical engi... more Abstract—Movement and behaviour analysis is a key re-search area in the domain of biomedical engineering and in many other medical research domains aiming at the under-standing of physiological motor and cognitive basic mecha-nisms. The systematic application of robotic and ...

Recent research in the emerging field of Phenomics aims at developing unobtrusive and ecological ... more Recent research in the emerging field of Phenomics aims at developing unobtrusive and ecological technologies which allow monitoring the behavior of infants and toddlers. Orientation tracking devices based on accelerometers and magnetometers represent a very promising technology since orientation in 3D space can be derived by solely relying upon the direction of the natural geomagnetic and gravitational fields which constitute an absolute coordinate frame of reference, i.e. sourceless.

2005 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, 2005

Movement and behavior analysis is a key research area in the domain of biomedical engineering and... more Movement and behavior analysis is a key research area in the domain of biomedical engineering and in many other medical research domains aiming at the understanding of physiological motor and cognitive basic mechanisms. The systematic application of robotic and mechatronic technologies to realize new tools and measurement methods for quantitatively assessing motor and cognitive functions in humans as well as