Neurorehabilitation using the virtual reality based Rehabilitation Gaming System: methodology, design, psychometrics, usability and validation.
Summary of "Neurorehabilitation using the virtual reality based Rehabilitation Gaming System: methodology, design, psychometrics, usability and validation."
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND:
Stroke is a frequent cause of adult disability that can lead to enduring impairments. However, given the life-long plasticity of the brain one could assume that recovery could be facilitated by the harnessing of mechanisms underlying neuronal reorganization. Currently it is not clear how this reorganization can be mobilized. Novel technology based neurorehabilitation techniques hold promise to address this issue. Here we describe a Virtual Reality (VR) based system, the Rehabilitation Gaming System (RGS) that is based on a number of hypotheses on the neuronal mechanisms underlying recovery, the structure of training and the role of individualization. We investigate the psychometrics of the RGS in stroke patients and healthy controls.
METHODS:
We describe the key components of the RGS and the psychometrics of one rehabilitation scenario called Spheroids. We performed trials with 21 acute/subacute stroke patients and 20 healthy controls to study the effect of the training parameters on task performance. This allowed us to develop a Personalized Training Module (PTM) for online adjustment of task difficulty. In addition, we studied task transfer between physical and virtual environments. Finally, we assessed the usability and acceptance of the RGS as a rehabilitation tool.
RESULTS:
We show that the PTM implemented in RGS allows us to effectively adjust the difficulty and the parameters of the task to the user by capturing specific features of the movements of the arms. The results reported here also show a consistent transfer of movement kinematics between physical and virtual tasks. Moreover, our usability assessment shows that the RGS is highly accepted by stroke patients as a rehabilitation tool.
CONCLUSIONS:
We introduce a novel VR based paradigm for neurorehabilitation, RGS, which combines specific rehabilitative principles with a psychometric evaluation to provide a personalized and automated training. Our results show that the RGS effectively adjusts to the individual features of the user, allowing for an unsupervised deployment of individualized rehabilitation protocols.
Affiliation
Journal Details
This article was published in the following journal.
Name: Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation
ISSN: 1743-0003
Pages: 48
Links
- PubMed Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20860808
- DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1743-0003-7-48
Medical and Biotech [MESH] Definitions
Rehabilitation Nursing
The diagnosis and treatment of human responses of individuals and groups to actual or potential health problems with the characteristics of altered functional ability and altered life-style. (American Nurses Association & Association of Rehabilitation Nurses. Standards of Rehabilitation Nursing Practice, 1986, p.2)
Reality Therapy
Method of psychotherapeutic treatment based on assumption of patients' personal responsibility for their own behavior. The therapist actively guides patients to accurate self-perception for fulfillment of needs of self-worth and respect for others. (From APA, Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms, 8th ed.)
Nature
The system of all phenomena in space and time; the totality of physical reality. It is both a scientific and philosophic concept appearing in all historic eras. (Webster 2d; Dr. James H. Cassedy, NLM History of Medicine Division)
Immunophenotyping
Process of classifying cells of the immune system based on structural and functional differences. The process is commonly used to analyze and sort T-lymphocytes into subsets based on CD antigens by the technique of flow cytometry.
Crack Cocaine
The purified, alkaloidal, extra-potent form of cocaine. It is smoked (free-based), injected intravenously, and orally ingested. Use of crack results in alterations in function of the cardiovascular system, the autonomic nervous system, the central nervous system, and the gastrointestinal system. The slang term "crack" was derived from the crackling sound made upon igniting of this form of cocaine for smoking.
PubMed Articles
Application of virtual reality in the motor aspects of neurorehabilitation.
INTRODUCTION. Virtual reality allows the user to interact with elements within a simulated scene. In recent times we have been witness to the introduction of virtual reality-based devices as one of th...
Cochrane review: virtual reality for stroke rehabilitation.
AIM:Virtual reality and interactive video gaming are innovative therapy approaches in the field of stroke rehabilitation. The primary objective of this review was to determine the effectiveness of vir...
ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Several neurorehabilitation strategies have been introduced over the last decade based on the so-called simulation hypothesis. This hypothesis states that a neural network locate...
Using video-capture virtual reality for children with acquired brain injury.
Objective. To assess the use of a video-capture projected VR system for children with acquired brain injury (ABI), and to compare their performance to that of matched healthy controls. Subjects. T...
A Training System of Orientation and Mobility for Blind People using Acoustic Virtual Reality.
A new auditory orientation training system was developed for blind people using acoustic virtual reality (VR) based on a head-related transfer function (HRTF) simulation. The present training system c...
Clinical Trials
Effectiveness of Virtual Reality Exercises in STroke Rehabilitation (EVREST)
This study is a pilot, randomized trial that will examine whether the Nintendo Wii virtual gaming system is safe and feasible for use in patients who have had a recent stroke.
Study in the Use of Virtual Reality as an Adjunct to Pain Control in Burn Patients
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the use of Virtual Reality (VR) technology during Physical Therapy (PT) and/or Occupational Therapy (OT) for patients with burns. Research question...
Virtual Reality Hypnosis for Chronic Pain Reduction
We would like to determine how well hypnosis works when induced through virtual reality medium for patients who have suffered a major burn injury in the past two years and suffer from chro...
Virtual Reality for Burn Wound Care Pain Control
We propose to study the effects of virtual reality (VR) on patients' pain perception during burn wound care. Such variables include psychiatric diagnosis and standard pain coping (i.e....
The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether a sub-population of patients with burn injuries needing dressing changes respond to virtual reality (VR) utilising relaxation themes with i...
