Acquired Brain Injury, Brain Diseases, Brain Injuries, Stroke, Traumatic Brain Injury
Conditions
Keywords
TBI, Traumatic brain injury, Stroke, Acquired brain injury, Virtual Reality, VR, Cognitive rehabilitation
Brief summary
One hundred participants with acquired brain injury (ABI) will be included in a randomized controlled trial, with one group playing a commercially available VR game and the control group doing activities in their everyday as cognitive training. The trial aims to investigate how VR can affect processing speed in the ABI population, and if these effects can transfer into everyday activities. The training will be performed in the participants homes, with assistance provided by the project group via phone or video conference. The training period will last five weeks. Participant's cognitive functions will be measured with questionnaires and neuropsychological tests at the start of the training period, at the end of training and sixteen weeks after the start of the intervention. In depth experiences with VR as a training method will be gathered through performing focus group interviews with some of the participants from the VR group, in addition to self-reported questionnaires from all the participants.
Detailed description
A randomized controlled trial (RCT) will be conducted where the experimental intervention is playing a commercial VR game. The VR group will follow a training regime of a 30 min VR session five times per week for 5 weeks. The control group will carry on with treatment as usual, in addition, participants will receive an information booklet covering cognitive training in everyday life. Baseline and outcome measures in terms of neuropsychological assessment and questionnaires will be performed at baseline (T1), at the end of the intervention period (T2) and at the 16-week follow-up (T3). The VR group will train with a rhythm VR game that is considered as a good candidate for basic training of the multifaceted aspects of attention including speed of information processing, selection, sustained attention, shifting/dividing of attention, and working memory. The VR game is selected on the grounds of clinical experience with VR training of processing speed, attention and working memory, and is also suggested in research as suitable games for cognitive rehabilitation.
Interventions
DEVICEVirtual Reality
Game to be played is a commercially available VR game
OTHERControl intervention
Sodoku, crossword puzzles
Sponsors
Oslo Metropolitan University
Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Sunnaas Rehabilitation Hospital
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Patients in stable phase after Acquired brain injury, minimum one year after injury * Physically able to operate VR-technology * Norwegian or English skills adequate to understand instructions, play the VR-games and to provide valid responses to assessment methods
Exclusion criteria
* Severe aphasia affecting their understanding of instructions * Apraxia affecting their ability to use VR-equipment * Visual neglect * Severe mental illness, substance abuse or co-existing neurological disorders
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in processing speed | Measured at baseline, after the intervention period (5 weeks) and at follow-up (16 weeks after baseline) | Connors Continous Performance test 3rd edition, Coefficient of Variation |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in patient reported executive functioning | Measured at baseline, after the intervention period (5 weeks) and at follow-up (16 weeks after baseline) | Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive function (BRIEF-A) |
| Transfer effect to everyday activities | Measured at baseline, after the intervention period (5 weeks) and at follow-up (16 weeks after baseline) | Patient Competency Rating Scale |
| Change in informant reported executive functioning | Measured at baseline, after the intervention period (5 weeks) and at follow-up (16 weeks after baseline) | Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive function (BRIEF-A) |
| Change in working memory | Measured at baseline, after the intervention period (5 weeks) and at follow-up (16 weeks after baseline) | Wechslers Adult Intelligence Scale IV, Backwards Digit Span |
| Change in sustained attention | Measured at baseline, after the intervention period (5 weeks) and at follow-up (16 weeks after baseline) | Connors Continous Performance test 3rd edition, Performance variability over time |
Countries
Norway
Contacts
Primary ContactMarianne Løvstad, PhD
Backup ContactSveinung Tornås, PhD
Outcome results
None listed