Applications of Virtual Reality Technology in Rehabilitation

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

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

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

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