Dataset Information

Effectiveness of action observation therapy based on virtual reality technology in the motor rehabilitation of paretic stroke patients: a randomized clinical trial.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The rehabilitation of paretic stroke patients uses a wide range of intervention programs to improve the function of impaired upper limb. A new rehabilitative approach, called action observation therapy (AOT) is based on the discovery of mirror neurons and has been used to improve the motor functions of adult stroke patients and children with cerebral palsy. Recently, virtual reality (VR) has provided the potential to increase the frequency and effectiveness of rehabilitation treatment by offering challenging and motivating tasks. METHODS: The purpose of the present project is to design a randomized controlled six-month follow-up trial (RCT) to evaluate whether action observation (AO) added to standard VR (AO + VR) is effective in improving upper limb function in patients with stroke, compared with a control treatment consisting of observation of naturalistic scenes (CO) without any action content, followed by VR training (CO + VR).

Discussion

AO + VR treatment may provide an addition to the rehabilitative interventions currently available for recovery after stroke and could be utilized within standard sensorimotor training or in individualized tele-rehabilitation.

Trial registration

The trial has been prospectively registered on ClinicalTrials.gov. NCT05163210 . 17 December 2021.

SUBMITTER: Errante A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8939064 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Effectiveness of action observation therapy based on virtual reality technology in the motor rehabilitation of paretic stroke patients: a randomized clinical trial.

Errante Antonino A Saviola Donatella D Cantoni Matteo M Iannuzzelli Katia K Ziccarelli Settimio S Togni Fabrizio F Simonini Marcello M Malchiodi Carolina C Bertoni Debora D Inzaghi Maria Grazia MG Bozzetti Francesca F Menozzi Roberto R Quarenghi Annamaria A Quarenghi Paola P Bosone Daniele D Fogassi Leonardo L Salvi Gian Piero GP De Tanti Antonio A

BMC neurology 20220322 1

<h4>Background</h4>The rehabilitation of paretic stroke patients uses a wide range of intervention programs to improve the function of impaired upper limb. A new rehabilitative approach, called action observation therapy (AOT) is based on the discovery of mirror neurons and has been used to improve the motor functions of adult stroke patients and children with cerebral palsy. Recently, virtual reality (VR) has provided the potential to increase the frequency and effectiveness of rehabilitation t ...[more]

PMID: 35317736

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Project description:BackgroundMotor impairment is a common consequence of stroke causing difficulty in independent movement. The first month of post-stroke rehabilitation is the most effective period for recovery. Movement imagination, known as motor imagery, in combination with virtual reality may provide a way for stroke patients with severe motor disabilities to begin rehabilitation.MethodsThe aim of this study is to verify whether motor imagery and virtual reality help to activate stroke patients' motor cortex. 16 acute/subacute (< 6 months) stroke patients participated in this study. All participants performed motor imagery of basketball shooting which involved the following tasks: listening to audio instruction only, watching a basketball shooting animation in 3D with audio, and also performing motor imagery afterwards. Electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded for analysis of motor-related features of the brain such as power spectral analysis in the [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] frequency bands and spectral entropy. 18 EEG channels over the motor cortex were used for all stroke patients.ResultsAll results are normalised relative to all tasks for each participant. The power spectral densities peak near the [Formula: see text] band for all participants and also the [Formula: see text] band for some participants. Tasks with instructions during motor imagery generally show greater power spectral peaks. The p-values of the Wilcoxon signed-rank test for band power comparison from the 18 EEG channels between different pairs of tasks show a 0.01 significance of rejecting the band powers being the same for most tasks done by stroke subjects. The motor cortex of most stroke patients is more active when virtual reality is involved during motor imagery as indicated by their respective scalp maps of band power and spectral entropy.ConclusionThe resulting activation of stroke patient's motor cortices in this study reveals evidence that it is induced by imagination of movement and virtual reality supports motor imagery. The framework of the current study also provides an efficient way to investigate motor imagery and virtual reality during post-stroke rehabilitation.

Project description:Stroke is a major cause of death and disability in adults. Conventional therapy (CT) has limited effectiveness, and therefore, various virtual reality (VR) rehabilitation programs have been designed. However, their efficacy in regaining motor function in patients with subacute stroke is questionable. Therefore, we conducted this meta-analysis to determine the efficacy of VR, compared to CT, in restoring motor function in this patient population. Up to October 10, 2020, nine electronic databases were searched for relevant articles reporting the effectiveness of VR in regaining motor function in patients with subacute stroke. This search was updated on March 7, 2021, with no additional added articles. The control group included CT, physical therapy, occupational therapy, or a combination of them. Effectiveness is defined as the positive change from baseline values to the last follow-up point. The Cochrane's revised risk-of-bias tool was used to determine the quality of included trials. A metaregression analysis was conducted to determine the effect of "time since last stroke" on reported outcomes. Publication bias and sensitivity analyses were also carried out. A total of 19 studies (17 randomized controlled trials, 1 cohort study, and 1 crossover trial) were included in the qualitative analysis, whereas 16 trials were meta-analyzed. A great improvement in motor function was noted in the VR group, when compared to preintervention values [standardized mean difference (SMD) = 1.14; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.77-1.52; I 2 = 82%; P < 0.001]. When compared to CT, VR resulted in mild improvement in motor function (SMD = 0.47; 95% CI = 0.22-0.72; I 2 = 75%; P < 0.001). However, upon trim-and-fill adjustment, this finding was deemed insignificant (SMD = 0.08; 95% CI = -0.16 to 0.33; I 2 = 82.6%; P < 0.001). Ten studies had low risk, five had some concerns, three had high risk, and one had a moderate risk of bias. VR programs can be used jointly with CT for the rehabilitation of the motor function of patients with subacute stroke. However, more studies are still warranted to determine the effectiveness of these interventions in retaining the cognitive function and physical performance of such patients.

Project description:BackgroundVirtual reality (VR) is an innovative neurorehabilitation modality that has been variously examined in systematic reviews. We assessed VR effectiveness and safety after cerebral stroke.MethodsIn this overview of systematic reviews, we searched eleven databases (Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, EMBASE, MEDLINE, SCOPUS, ISI Web of Science, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Pedro, Otseeker, Healthevidence.org, Epistemonikos) and grey literature from inception to January 17, 2023. Studies eligible for inclusion were systematic reviews published in English that included adult patients with a clinical diagnosis of stroke (acute to chronic phase) undergoing any kind of immersive, semi-immersive or non-immersive VR intervention with or without conventional therapy versus conventional therapy alone. The primary outcome was motor upper limb function and activity. The secondary outcomes were gait and balance, cognitive and mental function, limitation of activities, participation, and adverse events. We calculated the degree of overlap between reviews based on the corrected covered area (CCA). Methodological quality was assessed using the A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews (AMSTAR 2) and the Certainty of Evidence (CoE) using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations (GRADE) approach. Discordances between results were examined using a conceptual framework based on the Jadad algorithm. This overview is registered with PROSPERO, CRD42022329263.FindingsOf the 58 reviews included (n = 345 unique primary studies), 42 (72.4%) had conducted meta-analysis. More than half of the reviews (58.6%) were published between 2020 and 2022 and many (77.6%) were judged critically low in quality by AMSTAR 2. Most reported the Fugl Meyer Assessment scale (FMA-UE) to measure upper limb function and activity. For the primary outcome, there was a moderate overlap of primary studies (CCA 9.0%) with discordant findings. Focusing on upper limb function (FMA-UE), VR with or without conventional therapy seems to be more effective than conventional therapy alone, with low to moderate CoE and probable to definite clinical relevance. For secondary outcomes there was uncertainty about the superiority or no difference between groups due to substantial heterogeneity of measurement scales (eg, methodological choices). A few reviews (n = 6) reported the occurrence of mild adverse events.InterpretationCurrent evidence suggests that multiple meta-analyses agreed on the superiority of VR with or without conventional therapy over conventional therapy on FME-UE for upper limb. Clinicians may consider embedding VR technologies into their practice as appropriate with patient's goals, abilities, and preferences. However, caution is needed given the poor methodological quality of reviews.FundingItalian Ministry of Health.

Project description:BackgroundAction observation (AO) is a physical rehabilitation approach that facilitates the occurrence of neural plasticity through the activation of the mirror-neural system, promoting motor recovery in people with stroke.ObjectivesTo assess whether AO enhances upper limb motor function in people with stroke.Search methodsWe searched the Cochrane Stroke Group Trials Register (last searched 18 May 2021), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (18 May 2021), MEDLINE (1946 to 18 May 2021), Embase (1974 to 18 May 2021), and five additional databases. We also searched trial registries and reference lists.Selection criteriaRandomized controlled trials (RCTs) of AO alone or associated with physical practice in adults after stroke. The primary outcome was upper limb (arm and hand) motor function. Secondary outcomes included dependence on activities of daily living (ADL), motor performance, cortical activation, quality of life, and adverse effects.Data collection and analysisTwo review authors independently selected trials according to the predefined inclusion criteria, extracted data, assessed risk of bias using RoB 1, and applied the GRADE approach to assess the certainty of the evidence. The reviews authors contacted trial authors for clarification and missing information.Main resultsWe included 16 trials involving 574 individuals. Most trials provided AO followed by the practice of motor actions. Training varied between 1 day and 8 weeks of therapy, 10 to 90 minutes per session. The time of AO ranged from 1 minute to 10 minutes for each motor action, task or movement observed. The total number of motor actions ranged from 1 to 3. Control comparisons included sham observation, physical therapy, and functional activity practice.Primary outcomesAO improved arm function (standardized mean difference (SMD) 0.39, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.17 to 0.61; 11 trials, 373 participants; low-certainty evidence); and improved hand function (mean difference (MD) 2.76, 95% CI 1.04 to 4.49; 5 trials, 178 participants; low-certainty evidence).Secondary outcomesAO did not improve ADL performance (SMD 0.37, 95% CI -0.34 to 1.08; 7 trials, 302 participants; very low-certainty evidence), or quality of life (MD 5.52, 95% CI -30.74 to 41.78; 2 trials, 30 participants; very low-certainty evidence). We were unable to pool the other secondary outcomes (motor performance and cortical activation). Only two trials reported adverse events without significant adverse effects.Authors' conclusionsThe effects of AO are small for arm function compared to any control group; for hand function the effects are large, but not clinically significant. For both, the certainty of evidence is low. There is no evidence of benefit or detriment from AO on ADL and quality of life of people with stroke; however, the certainty of evidence is very low. As such, our confidence in the effect estimate is limited because it will likely change with future research.

Project description:IntroductionUpper extremity deficits (UED) is a common and impactful complication among stroke survivors. Virtual reality (VR)-based rehabilitation holds potential for enhancing rehabilitation intensity and engagement by stimulating tasks. While several clinical studies have examined the effectiveness and safety of VR-based rehabilitation, there is a need for further research to improve consistency in outcomes.Materials and methodsThe study will incorporate randomized controlled trials (RCTs) concerning the effects of VR-based rehabilitation on upper extremity (UE) function in stroke survivors. A comprehensive search of databases including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Scopus, Cinahl, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wan-fang, and Chinese Biology Medicine Database will be performed from inception to the start of the study. Primary outcomes will focus on upper limb motor function assessments such as the Fugl-Meyer Upper Extremity (FMUE), Box and Block Test (BBT), Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT), and Action Research Arm Test (ARAT). Secondary outcomes related to activities of daily living will include the Barthel Index (BI) and Functional Independence Measure (FIM). Research selection, data extraction, and quality assessment will be independently conducted by two researchers. The recently revised Cochrane risk of bias tool will be employed to evaluate study quality. Meta-regression and subgroup analyses will be utilized to identify effective therapy delivery modes and patterns. The assessment, development, and evaluation of recommendations approach will be applied to achieve a robust conclusion.DiscussionThis study provides a rigorous synthesis to evaluate optimal parameters-specifically intensity and duration-for VR-based rehabilitation interventions aimed at enhancing UE function in stroke survivors. Our secondary objective is to assess the impact of these parameters on rehabilitation outcomes. We anticipate an accurate, transparent, and standardized review process that will yield evidence-based recommendations for integrating VR technology into treating upper extremity dysfunction in stroke patients, offering clinicians effective strategies to enhance upper limb function.

Dataset Information

Effectiveness of action observation therapy based on virtual reality technology in the motor rehabilitation of paretic stroke patients: a randomized clinical trial.

Background

Discussion

Trial registration

Publications

Effectiveness of action observation therapy based on virtual reality technology in the motor rehabilitation of paretic stroke patients: a randomized clinical trial.

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