Hemiparesis
Conditions
Keywords
Music, Motor coordination, Embodied cognition, Rehabilitation, Virtual reality, Action observation
Brief summary
Hemiparesis affects the majority of stroke patients in the acute phase. In post-stroke motor rehabilitation patients can re-learn motor sequences through repetitive training. Research showed that virtual reality (VR) can be effectively used in upper limb motor rehabilitation by training motor coordination and gestures in an immersive virtual environment. Another promising line of intervention in post-stroke rehabilitation is the use of music, with evidence supporting the notion that a rhythmic accompaniment promotes the recovery of motor coordination in patients with hemiparetic stroke. Furthermore, studies showed a beneficial effect of the observation of movements performed by a third person in patients with post-stroke hemiparesis. Based this evidence, the present study aims at testing the feasibility and efficacy of a novel music-based VR intervention designed for upper limb motor rehabilitation in post-stroke hemiparetic patients. The treatment consists in upper limb repetitive training activities through the imitation of movements synchronized with a musical accompaniment and is delivered in 10 sessions over 2 weeks, supervised by a physical therapist. Participants wear a VR headset through which they observe egocentric 180° 3D videoclips. The experimental condition (group A) will be compared with a no-music condition (group B), to test the specific effect of music, and with traditional physiotherapy rehabilitation (group C), to test the efficacy of the approach. The investigators expect that the patients undergoing the experimental intervention (group A and group B) will show a greater upper limb motor function improvement, as compared to the active control group. As a secondary endpoint the investigators expect the music component to induce a greater motor improvement as compared to the experimental condition without music.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALVR+MUSIC
A novel VR intervention designed for upper limb motor rehabilitation in post-stroke hemiparetic patients consisting in 10 daily sessions of 30 minutes, over 2 weeks, supervised by a physical therapist.
BEHAVIORALVR
A novel VR intervention designed for upper limb motor rehabilitation in post-stroke hemiparetic patients consisting in 10 daily sessions of 30 minutes, over 2 weeks, supervised by a physical therapist.
BEHAVIORALTAU
Traditional post-stroke upper limb motor rehabilitation under the supervision of a physical therapist, for 0 daily sessions of 30 minutes, over 2 weeks.
Sponsors
Fondazione Poliambulanza
Catholic University of the Sacred Heart
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 80 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Post-stroke patients in acute/subacute phase * Upper limb hemiparesis (Ashworth scale: 0-2; MRC scale: 3-5) * Age between 18 and 80 years * Currently enrolled in inpatient rehabilitation
Exclusion criteria
* Psychiatric disorders, * Neglect * Epilepsy * MMSE rating \< 24 * Difficulty with visual-spatial exploration * Visual deficits.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Motricity Index (Collin, 1990) | 2 weeks post-test | Motricity scale |
| Medical Research Council (MRC) Muscle strength scale (Paternostro-Slug et al., 2008) | 2 weeks post-test | Muscle strenght scale |
| The Chedoke arm and Hand Activity Inventory (CAHAI) - short form (Barreca, 2013) | 2 weeks post-test | Hand activity scale |
Countries
Italy
Outcome results
None listed