A customizable virtual reality framework for the rehabilitation of cognitive functions

Brain injury can cause a variety of physical effects and cognitive deficits. Although it has not yet been systematically adopted in clinical settings, virtual reality promises to be an excellent therapeutic tool for regaining both locomotor and neurological capacities. This work presents the design and implementation of VR2 (Virtual Reality Rehabilitation), a customizable rehabilitation framework intended to enable the creation of motivating rehabilitation scenarios based on an ecologically valid semi-immersive system. Following the implementation phase, a study to test the acceptability of VR2 in a group of subjects with cerebral lesions was conducted to investigate the usability of the framework. The group consisted of 11 people from 22 to 70 years of age, who were divided into two groups depending on the chronicity of disorder. The adequacy of the interface between patient and system was verified through questionnaires containing subjective questions, which revealed good overall acceptance and enjoyment of the tool. Moreover, to obtain early results useful for tuning the overall system in preparation for rigorous clinical trials, a set of preliminary cognitive tests concerning the rehabilitation protocol was conducted within the same group. Although the preliminary findings are promising and reveal a positive trend in neurocognitive investigations, the system should undergo clinical trials before being used in real clinical settings.