Motor Learning of Stroke Patients in Virtual Environments

Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte

Status: Unknown

Conditions: Stroke; Stroke Sequelae

Treatments: Other: Conventional physical therapy; Other: Virtual reality

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03583827

475182/2012-0

Details and patient eligibility

About

The aim of this study is to assess the motor learning of patients with chronic stroke in virtual environments. Half the patients will undergo conventional therapy and half virtual reality training using virtual game. The study will also include healthy individuals matched for age, sex, schooling and hand laterality.

Full description

Stroke is the main cause of long-term disability in adults and motor learning is vital for recovering from motor sequelae. A number of approaches have been proposed to promote motor learning, including virtual reality, which simulates a real world environment and is based on the assumption that skills acquired in a virtual world will be transferred to the real world. Virtual reality induces use-dependent plastic changes in response to stimulation of higher motor areas, recruiting the memory system containing stored motor programs. As such, these interactive interventions of virtual reality are based on the idea that stimulating the action processing system activates the cortical areas involved in movement execution.

These game characteristics allow activation of the mirror neuron system during the execution or observation of actions. Recent evidence suggests an important role for this neuron system in the improvement or motor recovery of patients. In this respect, observing an action in association with physical training may enhance the effects of motor training on the recovery of patients with stroke.

Enrollment: 80 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 70 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Subjects diagnosed with the first episode of stroke, confirmed by medical imaging examination, unilateral brain injury, lesion time of at least 6 months;
• Right-handed and able to complete the assessment instruments;
• Individuals with affected upper limb movement skills, such as drinking water from a glass;
• Subjects able to remain in the orthostatic position, with or without gait assistive device.

Exclusion criteria

• Unilateral neglect and uncorrected primary auditory or visual impairment.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

---

80 participants in 2 patient groups

Experimental Group

Experimental group

Description:

Experimental group patients will be submitted to conventional therapy for 30 minutes and training of the affected upper limb using virtual reality, which will last 20 minutes over twelve sessions (4 weeks).

Treatment:

Other: Virtual reality

Other: Conventional physical therapy

Control Group

Active Comparator group

Description:

The control group will undergo 30 minutes of Conventional physical therapy in twelve sessions (4 weeks).

Treatment:

Other: Conventional physical therapy