Comparison between Motor Performance of People with Multiple Sclerosis during a Virtual Reality Task Practiced on Concrete and Abstract Devices: A Cross-Sectional Randomized Study

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune demyelinating disease of the central nervous system with unknown etiology, resulting in various impairments that necessitate continuous rehabilitation to enhance functionality, quality of life, and motor function, including through Virtual Reality (VR) therap...

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Published in:	Brain sciences Vol. 14; no. 9; p. 916
Main Authors:	Capelini, Camila Miliani, Ferrero, Giulianna Mendes, Canzonieri, Ana Maria, Silva, Roger Pereira, Bando, Mauricio Ossamu, Rosa, Renata Martins, Ferreira, Cintia Ramari, da Silva, Talita Dias, Ré, Alessandro Hervaldo Nicolai, Massa, Marcelo, de Araújo, Luciano Vieira, Magalhães, Fernando Henrique, de Mello Monteiro, Carlos Bandeira
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Switzerland MDPI AG 12-09-2024 MDPI
Subjects:	Autoimmune diseases Bubbles Central nervous system Clinical trials Computer applications Demyelinating diseases Demyelination Development and progression Disability Games Interactive computer systems Interfaces learning motor activity Motor skill Motor task performance Multiple sclerosis Quality of life Rehabilitation Retention Systematic review Virtual reality virtual reality exposure therapy Brazil virtual reality exposure therapy learning multiple sclerosis motor activity
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Summary:	Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune demyelinating disease of the central nervous system with unknown etiology, resulting in various impairments that necessitate continuous rehabilitation to enhance functionality, quality of life, and motor function, including through Virtual Reality (VR) therapy. Comparing tasks in virtual environments and their potential skill transfer to real-world settings could aid in optimizing treatment programs to improve motor performance in individuals with MS. This study aimed to determine whether practicing acquisition and retention phases using two distinct interfaces (concrete-Touch Screen or abstract-Kinect system) affects performance in a subsequent task using a different interface (transfer phase). A randomized clinical trial was conducted with 56 volunteers with MS and 41 controls. Participants engaged in a computer game where they burst as many bubbles as possible within 10 s per attempt. After the acquisition and retention phases, all participants switched interfaces (e.g., those using Kinect switched to Touchscreen and vice versa). Significant performance improvements were observed in both groups during the acquisition phase, which were maintained in the retention phase. Although the abstract interface was more challenging for both groups, only the MS group that practiced with the abstract interface successfully transferred their improvements to the concrete interface. Thus, despite the increased difficulty of the abstract task during practice, it led to better performance transfer when required to complete a subsequent concrete task, suggesting that abstract devices may be beneficial in clinical practice for improving motor function in people with MS.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	2076-3425 2076-3425
DOI:	10.3390/brainsci14090916