Sensorimotor Training in Virtual Reality: A Review

By S. Adamovich, G. Fluet, E. Tunik, A. Merians. NeuroRehabilitation (Reading, MA), 2009

508 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Recent experimental evidence suggests that rapid advancement of virtualreality (VR) technologies has great potential for the development of novelstrategies for sensorimotor training in neurorehabilitation. We discuss whatthe adaptive and engaging virtual environments can provide for massive andintensive sensorimotor stimulation needed to induce brain reorganization.Second, discrepancies between the veridical and virtual feedback can beintroduced in VR to facilitate activation of targeted brain networks, whichin turn can potentially speed up the recovery process. Here we review theexisting experimental evidence regarding the beneficial effects of trainingin virtual environments on the recovery of function in the areas of gait,upper extremity function and balance, in various patient populations. Wealso discuss possible mechanisms underlying these effects. We feel thatfuture research in the area of virtual rehabilitation should follow severalimportant paths. Imaging studies to evaluate the effects of sensorymanipulation on brain activation patterns and the effect of various trainingparameters on long term changes in brain function are needed to guide futureclinical inquiry. Larger clinical studies are also needed to establish theefficacy of sensorimotor rehabilitation using VR in various clinicalpopulations and most importantly, to identify VR training parameters thatare associated with optimal transfer to real-world functionalimprovements.

Subfields: Cognitive Neuroscience, Neurology, Rehabilitation

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/271ca0385fa41d3639f93ea4066f88fb83376d87

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Citations in the corpus

Human–robot interaction in industrial collaborative robotics: a literature review of the decade 2008–2017 (2019, background): “On the other hand, virtual reality ( VR ) can be defined as an approach to user-computer interface that involves real-time 3D computer simulation of an environment, scenario or activity that allows for user interaction via multiple sensory channels [153].”
Virtual Reality Therapy for Adults Post-Stroke: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Exploring Virtual Environments and Commercial Games in Therapy (2014, background): “VR can be defined as a type of user-computer interface that implements real-time simulation of an activity or environment allowing user interaction via multiple sensory modalities [8].”