Clinical Research Directory

Virtual Reality Rehabilitation for Cognitive, Emotional, and Motor Recovery in Neurological Disorders

This randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluates the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) rehabilitation in improving cognitive, emotional, social, and motor functions in patients with neurological disorders (ABI, SCI, MS, PD). It investigates whether VR improves motor and cognitive functions more than traditional therapy, identifies neurophysiological changes (EEG, fNIRS, MRI), and assesses the integration of VR with NIBS or telerehabilitation. Conducted over three years at IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo, participants are randomly assigned to either a VR training group or an active control group receiving traditional rehabilitation. Procedures include baseline assessments (T0), 20 rehabilitation sessions over 8 weeks, post-intervention evaluations (T1), and a 3-month follow-up (T2). Primary outcomes measure motor and cognitive function (MoCA, MMSE, FIM, TUG, Berg Balance Scale), neurophysiological changes (EEG, MRI, fNIRS, motion analysis), and emotional/social function (Empathy Quotient, Hamilton Depression Scale).