Applications of Virtual Reality Technology in Rehabilitation

Topic Information

Dear Colleagues,

The democratization of the use of virtual reality has led to an increase in available virtual reality applications for cognitive training and rehabilitation. Despite this increase, the operating mechanisms underlying the effects in virtual rehabilitation are still not completely understood. Most systematic reviews and meta-analyses in the field highlight the need for conducting high-quality research that allows to understand the working mechanisms of virtual rehabilitation in full and how the effects of intervention sustain over time.

Therefore, this Topic seeks to explore the active ingredients of virtual reality technology in cognitive training and rehabilitation in terms of intervention features relative to the use of game elements, presence of virtual humans and avatars, intensive or distributed practice of cognitive training, or whether the automatization of routines by relying on machine learning methods from artificial intelligence contributes to the efficiency of the rehabilitation procedure.

This Topic is open to innovative studies that explore both the use of new technologies for cognitive training and rehabilitation, as well as studies seeking to contribute to uncover the operating mechanisms of virtual rehabilitation for promoting cognitive overall adjustment of people with acquired brain injury or at risk of developing cognitive impairments.

Dr. Jorge Oliveira
Prof. Dr. Pedro Gamito
Topic Editors

Keywords

Participating Journals

Journal Name	Impact Factor	CiteScore	Launched Year	First Decision (median)	APC
Brain Sciences brainsci	3.3	3.9	2011	15.6 Days	CHF 2200	Submit
Healthcare healthcare	2.8	2.7	2013	19.5 Days	CHF 2700	Submit
Informatics informatics	3.1	4.8	2014	30.3 Days	CHF 1800	Submit
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ijerph	-	5.4	2004	29.6 Days	CHF 2500	Submit

MDPI Topics is cooperating with Preprints.org and has built a direct connection between MDPI journals and Preprints.org. Authors are encouraged to enjoy the benefits by posting a preprint at Preprints.org prior to publication:

1. Immediately share your ideas ahead of publication and establish your research priority;
2. Protect your idea from being stolen with this time-stamped preprint article;
3. Enhance the exposure and impact of your research;
4. Receive feedback from your peers in advance;
5. Have it indexed in Web of Science (Preprint Citation Index), Google Scholar, Crossref, SHARE, PrePubMed, Scilit and Europe PMC.

Published Papers (4 papers)

Order results

Content type Publication Date

Result details

Normal Extended Compact

Journals

All Brain Sciences Healthcare Informatics IJERPH

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Plain Text BibTeX BibTeX (without abstracts) Endnote Endnote (without abstracts) Tab-delimited RIS

Error

Oops... you haven't selected anything for export.

Ok

clear

9 pages, 765 KiB  

Open AccessBrief Report

Feasibility of Virtual Shopping Budget-Management Training on Executive Functions in Healthy Young Adults: A Pilot Study

by Si-An Lee, Ji-Yea Kim and Jin-Hyuck Park

Brain Sci. 2023, 13(11), 1573; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13111573 - 09 Nov 2023

Viewed by 768

Abstract

To date, budget management in virtual shopping training has not been given much importance. The main objective of this study was to investigate the effects of virtual shopping budget-management training on executive functions and brain activation. Sixteen participants were randomly assigned to the [...] Read more.

To date, budget management in virtual shopping training has not been given much importance. The main objective of this study was to investigate the effects of virtual shopping budget-management training on executive functions and brain activation. Sixteen participants were randomly assigned to the experimental group that received virtual shopping budget-management training or the waitlist control group for a total of 16 sessions. To examine the effects of virtual shopping budget-management training on brain activation, HbO₂ was measured in the prefrontal cortex via functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) during the Trail Making Test Part B (TMT-B) and Stroop test. Mann–Whitney and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to compare outcomes between and within the two groups. The virtual shopping budget-management training showed no significant difference in all outcomes between both groups (p > 0.05). No significant differences were observed in HbO₂ levels during both TMT-B (p > 0.05) and the Stroop test (p > 0.05). However, in the pre-post comparisons, there was a significant difference in the TMT-B (p < 0.05) and Stroop test (p < 0.05) in the experimental group. In this study, although we did not find a distinct advantage in training, it confirmed its potential for clinical benefits in healthy young adults through training. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Applications of Virtual Reality Technology in Rehabilitation)

►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 2858 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

Areas of Research Focus and Trends in the Research on the Application of VR in Rehabilitation Medicine

by Chen Wang, Jingqi Kong and Huiying Qi

Healthcare 2023, 11(14), 2056; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11142056 - 18 Jul 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1809

Abstract

Objective: To establish the areas of research focus in the application of VR in rehabilitation medicine, analyze its themes and trends, and offer a reference for future related research in this field. Methods: This paper provides an in-depth analysis of the development process, [...] Read more.

Objective: To establish the areas of research focus in the application of VR in rehabilitation medicine, analyze its themes and trends, and offer a reference for future related research in this field. Methods: This paper provides an in-depth analysis of the development process, areas of research focus, and research trends in the field of the application of VR in rehabilitation medicine, using the Web of Science core dataset as the source and using a bibliometric analysis with CiteSpace. Results: The application of VR in rehabilitation medicine was composed of three stages, and the research topics were reviewed from five perspectives: neurological rehabilitation, psychological treatment, pain distraction, cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, and visual–spatial disorder. Limitations: The research data were sourced from the Web of Science core dataset only, and the data-sample size was not comprehensive. Conclusions: Overcoming VR-technology-induced vertigo, mental disorders from the overuse of VR, individualized treatments, and integration with traditional therapy are all challenges in the application of VR in rehabilitation medicine that require research. In addition, developing VR products with better experiences, constructing standardized guidelines, and conducting more high-quality clinical studies are all future research topics related to the application of VR in rehabilitation medicine. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Applications of Virtual Reality Technology in Rehabilitation)

►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 1179 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

Reducing Visuospatial Pseudoneglect in Healthy Subjects by Active Video Gaming

by Giuditta Gambino, Lorenzo Pia, Giuseppe Ferraro, Filippo Brighina, Danila Di Majo, Fabrizio Di Giovanni, Tommaso Ciorli, Pierangelo Sardo and Giuseppe Giglia

Brain Sci. 2023, 13(6), 877; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13060877 - 29 May 2023

Viewed by 1773

Abstract

Pseudoneglect phenomenon refers to a condition in which healthy subjects tend to perceive the left side of exactly bisected lines as being slightly longer than the right one. However, behavioural data showed that athletes practising an open-skill sport display less pseudoneglect than the [...] Read more.

Pseudoneglect phenomenon refers to a condition in which healthy subjects tend to perceive the left side of exactly bisected lines as being slightly longer than the right one. However, behavioural data showed that athletes practising an open-skill sport display less pseudoneglect than the general population. Given the fact that so-called exergames (also known as active video games) are platforms designed to fully mimic sport activity, this work intends to investigate whether and how a one-week training period of exergame open-skill sport can determine a similar decrease in pseudoneglect. Fifteen healthy participants (non-athletes) responded to a visuospatial attention task and a control memory task in basal conditions (t0: Pre-game) and after a short period (one week, one hour/day) of tennis exergaming (t1: Post-game). In the Post-game condition, subjects from this experimental group (ExerGame group: EG) reduced leftward space overestimation and made significantly fewer leftward errors compared to the Pre-game condition. Additionally, two other experimental groups were employed: one evaluated within the same conditions of the main experiment but using a non-exergame (Non-Exergame groups: NEG) and the other one without any video game stimulus (Sedentary group: SE). Our findings suggest that daily training of a tennis exergame seems to be able to improve visuospatial attention isotropy by reducing leftward space overestimation, whereas outcomes from non-exergaming and sedentary activity do not modify subjects’ performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Applications of Virtual Reality Technology in Rehabilitation)

►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 1341 KiB  

Open AccessProtocol

Effect of Physiotherapy Treatment with Immersive Virtual Reality in Subjects with Stroke: A Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

by Aitor Garay-Sánchez, Yolanda Marcén-Román, Mercedes Ferrando-Margelí, M. Ángeles Franco-Sierra and Carmen Suarez-Serrano

Healthcare 2023, 11(9), 1335; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11091335 - 05 May 2023

Viewed by 1981

Abstract

Background: Many stroke survivors suffer from sensorimotor deficits, especially balance impairments. The purpose of this trial is to investigate whether the designed Immersive Virtual Reality training program is better in the short term (15 sessions) and in the medium term (30 sessions) than [...] Read more.

Background: Many stroke survivors suffer from sensorimotor deficits, especially balance impairments. The purpose of this trial is to investigate whether the designed Immersive Virtual Reality training program is better in the short term (15 sessions) and in the medium term (30 sessions) than physiotherapy training with Bayouk, Boucher and Leroux exercises, with respect to static balance in sitting and standing, dynamic balance and quality of life in patients with balance impairment in stroke survivors. Methods: This study is a randomized controlled trial with two treatment arms and evaluators blinded, and a functionality treatment group in combination with specific balance exercise training according to Bayouk, Boucher and Leroux (control group) or a balanced treatment using Immersive VR. The primary outcome will be static, Dynamic balance and gait measured by Bestest Assessment Score (BESTest), Berg Scale (BBS), Pass Scale (PASS) and Time Up and Go test (TUG). The secondary outcome will be the stroke-associated quality of life using the Stroke Quality of Life Scale (ECVI-38). Conclusions: The results of this study may add new insights into how to address balance using Immersive Virtual Reality after a stroke. If the new training approach proves effective, the results may provide insight into how to design more comprehensive protocols in the future for people with balance impairments after stroke. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Applications of Virtual Reality Technology in Rehabilitation)

►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Plain Text BibTeX BibTeX (without abstracts) Endnote Endnote (without abstracts) Tab-delimited RIS

 

Error

Oops... you haven't selected anything for export.

Ok

clear

Displaying articles 1-4