"Enhancing cognitive and social functioning in acquired brain Injury: The role of virtual reality and computerized cognitive training".

Introduction: Cognitive deficits in acquired brain injury patients, particularly in domains like attention, memory, executive function, and social cognition, affect patients' quality of life. While rehabilitation strategies often focus on conventional methods, emerging technologies like Virtual Reality and computerized cognitive training offer new approaches. This study explores the efficacy of a tablet-based cognitive training program and the use of Virtual Reality for social cognition assessment .

Feasibility, usability and engagement of a tangible interface for upper limb rehabilitation after stroke.

Here we present a study that explores the feasibility, user engagement, and usability of an interactive system that involves the use of tangible objects with various shapes and properties to interact with virtual tasks designed for upper limb rehabilitation following a stroke. We evaluated five different types of interaction modalities, including three grasps modalities (power grasp, lateral grasp and tripod grasp) and two strength modalities. These were tested using five basic game-like tasks with a total of 20 stroke patients.

Brain activation by a VR-based motor imagery and observation task: An fMRI study.

Training motor imagery (MI) and motor observation (MO) tasks is being intensively exploited to promote brain plasticity in the context of post-stroke rehabilitation strategies. This may benefit from the use of closed-loop neurofeedback, embedded in brain-computer interfaces (BCI's) to provide an alternative non-muscular channel, which may be further augmented through embodied feedback delivered through virtual reality (VR). Here, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in a group of healthy adults to map brain activation elicited by an ecologically-valid task based on a VR-BCI paradigm called NeuRow, whereby participants perform MI of rowing with the left or right arm (i.

Ecologically valid virtual reality-based technologies for assessment and rehabilitation of acquired brain injury: a systematic review.

Purpose: A systematic review was conducted to examine the state of the literature regarding using ecologically valid virtual environments and related technologies to assess and rehabilitate people with Acquired Brain Injury (ABI).

Materials And Methods: A literature search was performed following the PRISMA guidelines using PubMed, Web of Science, ACM and IEEE databases. The focus was on assessment and intervention studies using ecologically valid virtual environments (VE).

Design, development, and evaluation of an interactive personalized social robot to monitor and coach post-stroke rehabilitation exercises.

Socially assistive robots are increasingly being explored to improve the engagement of older adults and people with disability in health and well-being-related exercises. However, even if people have various physical conditions, most prior work on social robot exercise coaching systems has utilized generic, predefined feedback. The deployment of these systems still remains a challenge.

A Systematic Review of International Affective Picture System (IAPS) around the World.

Standardized Emotion Elicitation Databases (SEEDs) allow studying emotions in laboratory settings by replicating real-life emotions in a controlled environment. The International Affective Pictures System (IAPS), containing 1182 coloured images as stimuli, is arguably the most popular SEED. Since its introduction, multiple countries and cultures have validated this SEED, making its adoption on the study of emotion a worldwide success.

Feasibility, Acceptability, and Preliminary Impact of Full-Body Interaction on Computerized Cognitive Training Based on Instrumental Activities of Daily Living: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial with Chronic Psychiatric Inpatients.

To conduct a pilot randomized control trial to assess the feasibility and acceptability of full-body interaction cognitive training (FBI-CT) inspired by instrumental activities of daily living in chronic psychiatric inpatients and to explore its preliminary impact on cognitive and noncognitive outcomes. Twenty psychiatric inpatients met the inclusion criteria and were randomly allocated to the FBI-CT group ( = 10) or the tablet-based CT group (T-CT) ( = 10). Neuropsychological assessments were performed at baseline, postintervention, and 3-month follow-up.

Automatic Cognitive Fatigue Detection Using Wearable fNIRS and Machine Learning.

Wearable sensors have increasingly been applied in healthcare to generate data and monitor patients unobtrusively. Their application for Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI) allows for unobtrusively monitoring one's cognitive state over time. A particular state relevant in multiple domains is cognitive fatigue, which may impact performance and attention, among other capabilities.

The impact of exergames on the functional balance of a teenager with cerebral palsy - a case report.

Purpose: To understand the impact of an intensive rehabilitation program based on exergames in balance and lower limb function in a teenager with cerebral palsy.

Methods: The rehabilitation program comprised different customised exergames and was delivered in 5 weekly sessions of 30 min for 4 weeks. Pre-, post-, and 1-month Follow-up assessments included the following metrics: Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Dynamic Gait Index (DGI), Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM), Posturography, and Gait analysis.

Clinical Effects of Immersive Multimodal BCI-VR Training after Bilateral Neuromodulation with rTMS on Upper Limb Motor Recovery after Stroke. A Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

The motor sequelae after a stroke are frequently persistent and cause a high degree of disability. Cortical ischemic or hemorrhagic strokes affecting the cortico-spinal pathways are known to cause a reduction of cortical excitability in the lesioned area not only for the local connectivity impairment but also due to a contralateral hemisphere inhibitory action. Non-invasive brain stimulation using high frequency repetitive magnetic transcranial stimulation (rTMS) over the lesioned hemisphere and contralateral cortical inhibition using low-frequency rTMS have been shown to increase the excitability of the lesioned hemisphere.

The Benefits of Custom Exergames for Fitness, Balance, and Health-Related Quality of Life: A Randomized Controlled Trial with Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

This research aimed to measure the benefits in older adults' motor performance and quality of life during a 12-week-long multidimensional training combining custom-made exergames and traditional exercise in a complementary manner, compared with traditional training alone. Community-dwelling older adults participated in a randomized controlled trial ( = 31) consisting of two weekly exercise sessions of 60 minutes for 12 weeks. Participants allocated to the exergames group ( = 15) had one individual session of exergames and one traditional exercise group session per week.

Evaluation of a Low-Cost Virtual Reality Surround-Screen Projection System.

Two of the most popular mediums for virtual reality are head-mounted displays and surround-screen projection systems, such as CAVE Automatic Virtual Environments. In recent years, HMDs suffered a significant reduction in cost and have become widespread consumer products. In contrast, CAVEs are still expensive and remain accessible to a limited number of researchers.

The use of game modes to promote engagement and social involvement in multi-user serious games: a within-person randomized trial with stroke survivors.

Background: Serious games are promising for stroke rehabilitation, with studies showing a positive impact on reducing motor and cognitive deficits. However, most of the evidence is in the context of single-user rehabilitation, and little is known concerning the impact in multi-user settings. This study evaluates the impact that different game modes can have on engagement and social involvement during a two-user game.

User Experience of Interactive Technologies for People With Dementia: Comparative Observational Study.

Background: Serious games (SGs) are used as complementary approaches to stimulate patients with dementia. However, many of the SGs use out-of-the-shelf technologies that may not always be suitable for such populations, as they can lead to negative behaviors, such as anxiety, fatigue, and even cybersickness.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate how patients with dementia interact and accept 5 out-of-the-shelf technologies while completing 10 virtual reality tasks.

A comparison of two personalization and adaptive cognitive rehabilitation approaches: a randomized controlled trial with chronic stroke patients.

Background: Paper-and-pencil tasks are still widely used for cognitive rehabilitation despite the proliferation of new computer-based methods, like VR-based simulations of ADL's. Studies have established construct validity of VR assessment tools with their paper-and-pencil version by demonstrating significant associations with their traditional construct-driven measures. However, VR rehabilitation intervention tools are mostly developed to include mechanisms such as personalization and adaptation, elements that are disregarded in their paper-and-pencil counterparts, which is a strong limitation of comparison studies.

Comparison of Visual and Auditory Modalities for Upper-Alpha EEG-Neurofeedback.

Electroencephalography (EEG) neurofeedback (NF) training has been shown to produce long-lasting effects on the improvement of cognitive function as well as the normalization of aberrant brain activity in disease. However, the impact of the sensory modality used as the NF reinforcement signal on training effectiveness has not been systematically investigated. In this work, an EEG-based NF-training system was developed targeting the individual upper-alpha (UA) band and using either a visual or an auditory reinforcement signal, so as to compare the effects of the two sensory modalities.

Impact of game mode in multi-user serious games for upper limb rehabilitation: a within-person randomized trial on engagement and social involvement.

Background: Serious games have been increasingly used for motor rehabilitation. However, it is not well known how different game features can be used to impact specific skills properly. Here, we study how the mode (competitive, co-active, collaborative) in which a multi-user game is presented impacts engagement and social involvement.

Lessons Learned from Gamifying Functional Fitness Training Through Human-Centered Design Methods in Older Adults.

The design of meaningful and enjoyable Exergames for fitness training in older adults possesses critical challenges in matching user's needs and motivators with game elements. These challenges are often due to the lack of knowledge of seniors' game preferences and technology literacy as well as a poor involvement of the target population in the design process. This research aims at describing a detailed and scrutinized use case of applying human-centered design methodologies in the gamification of fitness training routines and illustrates how to incorporate seniors' feedback in the game design pipeline.

Efficacy and Brain Imaging Correlates of an Immersive Motor Imagery BCI-Driven VR System for Upper Limb Motor Rehabilitation: A Clinical Case Report.

To maximize brain plasticity after stroke, a plethora of rehabilitation strategies have been explored. These include the use of intensive motor training, motor-imagery (MI), and action-observation (AO). Growing evidence of the positive impact of virtual reality (VR) techniques on recovery following stroke has been shown.

Capturing Expert Knowledge for the Personalization of Cognitive Rehabilitation: Study Combining Computational Modeling and a Participatory Design Strategy.

Background: Cognitive impairments after stroke are not always given sufficient attention despite the critical limitations they impose on activities of daily living (ADLs). Although there is substantial evidence on cognitive rehabilitation benefits, its implementation is limited because of time and human resource's demands. Moreover, many cognitive rehabilitation interventions lack a robust theoretical framework in the selection of paper-and-pencil tasks by the clinicians.

Toward Emotionally Adaptive Virtual Reality for Mental Health Applications.

Here, we introduce the design and preliminary validation of a general-purpose architecture for affective-driven procedural content generation in virtual reality (VR) applications in mental health and wellbeing. The architecture supports seven commercial physiological sensing technologies and can be deployed in immersive and non-immersive VR systems. To demonstrate the concept, we developed the "The Emotional Labyrinth," a non-linear scenario in which navigation in a procedurally generated three-dimensional maze is entirely decided by the user, and whose features are dynamically adapted according to a set of emotional states.

Combined Cognitive-Motor Rehabilitation in Virtual Reality Improves Motor Outcomes in Chronic Stroke - A Pilot Study.

Stroke is one of the most common causes of acquired disability, leaving numerous adults with cognitive and motor impairments, and affecting patients' capability to live independently. Virtual Reality (VR) based methods for stroke rehabilitation have mainly focused on motor rehabilitation but there is increasing interest toward the integration of cognitive training for providing more effective solutions. Here we investigate the feasibility for stroke recovery of a virtual cognitive-motor task, the Reh@Task, which combines adapted arm reaching, and attention and memory training.

Correlates of health-related quality of life in young-old and old-old community-dwelling older adults.

Purpose: This study aimed (1) to examine the role of potential correlates of HRQoL in a large representative sample of older adults, and (2) to investigate whether the relationships between HRQoL and potential factors differ as a function of HRQoL component (physical vs. mental) and/or age cohort (young-old vs. old-old).