Virtual reality for stroke rehabilitation

Abstract

Background Virtual reality and interactive video gaming have emerged as recent treatment approaches in stroke rehabilitation. In particular, commercial gaming consoles have been rapidly adopted in clinical settings. This is an update of a Cochrane Review published in 2011. Objectives Primary objective: To determine the efficacy of virtual reality compared with an alternative intervention or no intervention on upper limb function and activity. Secondary objective: To determine the efficacy of virtual reality compared with an alternative intervention or no intervention on: gait and balance activity, global motor function, cognitive function, activity limitation, participation restriction and quality of life, voxels or regions of interest identified via imaging, and adverse events. Additionally, we aimed to comment on the feasibility of virtual reality for use with stroke patients by reporting on patient eligibility criteria and recruitment.

The use of Virtual Reality for upper limb rehabilitation of hemiparetic Stroke patients

“…Even though, it is possible to discuss in general terms, assuming that the basic principle of the playability is represented by the interaction of the patient with the technology in the form of a serious game. This principle is as shared by commercial systems as by prototype software (7,8), (20,21,22,23,24,25).…”

“…The technological range variety of the Virtual Reality (VR), because the way of Serious Games has been used with the objective of providing therapeutic and recreational challenges (8). This implementation is mainly based on the hypothesis that, when an individual is exposed to his own image (like a mirror) performing a motor task, it occurs at cortical level, effects of reorganization by neuroplastic mechanisms which can reorganize the injury motor cortex, by the mean of mirror`s neurons activation (9,10,11).…”

Computational models and motor learning paradigms: Could they provide insights for neuroplasticity after stroke? An overview

“…In recent years, much attention has been devoted to innovative technologies and its impact related to computational approaches [64][65][66][67][68]. From a technological perspective, computational models allow us to design and generate very complex systems.…”

The role of evidence-based medicine in the neurorehabilitation: the innovative technologies (a review)

“…Погружение в игру позволяет сделать трени-ровки более разнообразными и интересными. При исследовании технологий виртуальной реальности выявлена их высокая эффективность (1a) для вос-становления функции ходьбы [10] и манипулятив-ной функции руки [11]. На практике технологии виртуальной реальности и БОС часто сочетаются с роботизированной механотерапией в игровых ком-пьютеризированных тренировках (см.…”