Effects of Action Observation Therapy Based on Virtual Reality for Upper Extremity Rehabilitation in Stroke

Launched by RIPHAH INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY · Dec 25, 2023

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying how effective a new therapy combining Action Observation (AO) and Virtual Reality (VR) can be in helping stroke patients improve their use of their arms. In the trial, participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group will practice AO therapy, where they watch demonstrations of daily actions and then try to do them. The other group will use both AO and VR therapy, where they will wear VR glasses to interact with virtual tasks. Researchers will assess everyone’s arm function and movement abilities before and after the therapy sessions using several tests.

To be eligible for this trial, participants should be between 40 and 60 years old, have weakness in one arm due to a stroke, and still be able to move that arm to some degree. They also need to have a good understanding of instructions. However, individuals with severe cognitive impairments, significant neglect of one side of the body, or other serious health issues may not qualify. Participants can expect to attend a total of 18 therapy sessions, each lasting about an hour, where they will engage in activities designed to improve their arm function. This trial is currently recruiting participants, and it aims to find out if combining AO with VR can lead to better recovery outcomes after a stroke.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • • Both Male \& Female
• • 40-60 years of age
• • Primarily motor symptoms with unilateral upper limb paresis (controlled via standard neurological examination)
• • Residual movement ability of the paretic upper limb, controlled by Medical Research Council (MRC) index (\> 2 and \< 4), active use of the hemiplegic limb, from minimal (mainly for assistance tasks to the preserved limb) to discrete (characterized by coarse manipulation and an inability to perform precision grip)
• • mini-mental state examination (MME) score ≥27
• • Sufficient cooperation and cognitive understanding to participate to the activities, controlled by the investigator recruiting the patient
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • • Presence of severe cognitive impairment (score \< 20 at Mini Mental State Examination \[MMSE\])
• • Presence of severe forms of unilateral spatial neglect, controlled using the Bells Test (cut-off = / \> 50%)
• • Presence of severe ideomotor Apraxia
• • Presence of severe anosognosia, assessed by clinical examination
• • Presence of severe language comprehension deficits, assessed by clinical examination.
• • Presence of severe untreated psychiatric disorders
• • Sensory impairments hindering participation and/or not compensated visual deficits of central origin
• • Drug-resistant epilepsy