To investigate the effect of virtual reality on the recovery of cognitive impairment in stroke patients.
Twenty-eight patients (11 males and 17 females, mean age 64.2) with cognitive impairment following stroke were recruited for this study. All patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups, the virtual reality (VR) group (n=15) or the control group (n=13). The VR group received both virtual reality training and computer-based cognitive rehabilitation, whereas the control group received only computer-based cognitive rehabilitation. To measure, activity of daily living cognitive and motor functions, the following assessment tools were used: computerized neuropsychological test and the Tower of London (TOL) test for cognitive function assessment, Korean-Modified Barthel index (K-MBI) for functional status evaluation, and the motricity index (MI) for motor function assessment. All recruited patients underwent these evaluations before rehabilitation and four weeks after rehabilitation.
The VR group showed significant improvement in the K-MMSE, visual and auditory continuous performance tests (CPT), forward digit span test (DST), forward and backward visual span tests (VST), visual and verbal learning tests, TOL, K-MBI, and MI scores, while the control group showed significant improvement in the K-MMSE, forward DST, visual and verbal learning tests, trail-making test-type A, TOL, K-MBI, and MI scores after rehabilitation. The changes in the visual CPT and backward VST in the VR group after rehabilitation were significantly higher than those in the control group.
Our findings suggest that virtual reality training combined with computer-based cognitive rehabilitation may be of additional benefit for treating cognitive impairment in stroke patients.
Citations
Method: Fifty subjects with brain injury were enrolled and classified into two groups, experimental (n=25) and control group (n=25). Control group received conventional reha bilitation therapy including physical and occupational therapy. Experimental group received additional computer- assisted cognitive training using CogRehabKⰒ software consisted of 10 level-completing programs, 3 times per week, 30 minutes per session, for 4 to 6 weeks. All patients were assessed their cognitive functions using Seoul Computerized Neuropsychological Test (SCNTⰒ, Maxmedica, 2001), minimental status examination (MMSE), digit span, and Wechsler memory scale before and after treatment. Functional independence measure and geriatric depression scale were also applied for evaluation of functional and mood status.
Results: Before the treatment, two groups showed no difference in their cognitive functions. After 4 to 6 weeks of treatment, the experimental group showed significantly higher performance in forward digit span, forward visual span, auditory continuous performance test, and visual continuous performance test in CNT and MMSE than control group (p＜0.05).
Conclusion: We conclude that the CogRehabKⰒ may be useful as an additional tool for the cognitive rehabilitation in patients with brain injury. (J Korean Acad Rehab Med 2003; 27: 830-839)
Objective: To evaluate the effect of computer-assisted cognitive rehabilitation program on cognitive function of the patients with brain injury.
Method: Twenty seven subjects with brain injury (23 males, 4 females) were enrolled and classified into two groups, experimental and control group. There was no significant difference between two groups in age and postonset duration. Control group received conventional rehabiliation therapy including physical and occupational therapy. Experimental group received additional computer- assisted cognitive training using PSS CogRehab software (USA, 1995), 3 times per a week, 30 minutes per session, for 4 weeks. The PSS CogRehab software consisted of foundation, memory, visual spatial and problem solving categories with 45 indivisualized training programs. These
45 programs are arranged according to the degree of difficulty. All patients were assessed their cognitive function using Computerized Neuropsychological Test (Mirae engineering, 1999) before treatment and at 1 month after treatment.
Results: Before the treatment, two groups showed no difference in their cognitive function. After 1 month treatment, the experimental group showed significantly higher performance in forward digit span, forward visual span, auditory continuous performance test and visual controlled continuous performance test than control group (p＜0.05).
Conclusion: Computer-assisted cognitive training would be useful as a additional tool of cognitive rehabilitation in patients with brain injury. (J Korean Acad Rehab Med 2002; 26: 1-8)
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