Neurorehabilitation for stroke is important for upper limb motor recovery. Conventional rehabilitation such as occupational therapy has been used, but novel technologies are expected to open new opportunities for better recovery. Virtual reality (VR) is a technology with a set of informatics that provides interactive environments to patients. VR can enhance neuroplasticity and recovery after a stroke by providing more intensive, repetitive, and engaging training due to several advantages, including: (1) tasks with various difficulty levels for rehabilitation, (2) augmented real-time feedback, (3) more immersive and engaging experiences, (4) more standardized rehabilitation, and (5) safe simulation of real-world activities of daily living. In this comprehensive narrative review of the application of VR in motor rehabilitation after stroke, mainly for the upper limbs, we cover: (1) the technologies used in VR rehabilitation, including sensors; (2) the clinical application of and evidence for VR in stroke rehabilitation; and (3) considerations for VR application in stroke rehabilitation. Meta-analyses for upper limb VR rehabilitation after stroke were identified by an online search of Ovid-MEDLINE, Ovid-EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and KoreaMed. We expect that this review will provide insights into successful clinical applications or trials of VR for motor rehabilitation after stroke.

Virtual home-based rehabilitation is an emerging area in stroke rehabilitation. Functional assessment tools are essential to monitor recovery and provide current function-based rehabilitation. We developed the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) tool using Kinect (Microsoft, USA) and validated it for hemiplegic stroke patients. Forty-one patients with hemiplegic stroke were enrolled. Thirteen of 33 items were selected for upper extremity motor FMA. One occupational therapist assessed the motor FMA while recording upper extremity motion with Kinect. FMA score was calculated using principal component analysis and artificial neural network learning from the saved motion data. The degree of jerky motion was also transformed to jerky scores. Prediction accuracy for each of the 13 items and correlations between real FMA scores and scores using Kinect were analyzed. Prediction accuracies ranged from 65% to 87% in each item and exceeded 70% for 9 items. Correlations were high for the summed score for the 13 items between real FMA scores and scores obtained using Kinect (Pearson’s correlation coefficient = 0.873, P<0.0001) and those between total upper extremity scores (66 in full score) and scores using Kinect (26 in full score) (Pearson’s correlation coefficient = 0.799, P<0.0001). Log transformed jerky scores were significantly higher in the hemiplegic side (1.81 ± 0.76) compared to non-hemiplegic side (1.21 ± 0.43) and showed significant negative correlations with Brunnstrom stage (3 to 6; Spearman correlation coefficient = -0.387, P = 0.046). FMA using Kinect is a valid way to assess upper extremity function and can provide additional results for movement quality in stroke patients. This may be useful in the setting of unsupervised home-based rehabilitation.

Background: We designed this study to prove the efficacy of the low-cost Kinect-based virtual rehabilitation (VR) system for upper limb recovery among patients with subacute stroke. Methods: A double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled trial was performed. A total of 23 subjects with subacute stroke (<3 months) were allocated to sham (n = 11) and real VR group (n = 12). Both groups participated in a daily 30-minute occupational therapy for upper limb recovery for 10 consecutive weekdays. Subjects received an additional daily 30-minute Kinect-based or sham VR. Assessment was performed before the VR, immediately and 1 month after the last session of VR. Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) (primary outcome) and other secondary functional outcomes were measured. Accelerometers were used to measure hemiparetic upper limb movements during the therapy. Results: FMA immediately after last VR session was not different between the sham (46.8 ± 16.0) and the real VR group (49.4 ± 14.2) (P = .937 in intention to treat analysis). Significant differences of total activity counts (TAC) were found in hemiparetic upper limb during the therapy between groups (F _2,26 = 4.43; P = .22). Real VR group (107,926 ± 68,874) showed significantly more TACs compared with the sham VR group (46,686 ± 25,814) but there was no statistical significance between real VR and control (64,575 ± 27,533). Conclusion: Low-cost Kinect-based upper limb rehabilitation system was not more efficacious compared with sham VR. However, the compliance in VR was good and VR system induced more arm motion than control and similar activity compared with the conventional therapy, which suggests its utility as an adjuvant additional therapy during inpatient stroke rehabilitation.

Evaluating and quantifying the upper-limb functions are essential to planning effective patient rehabilitation. The box and block test (BBT) is a conventional, simple, and easy-to-apply assessment tool that is used in hospitals, and previous studies have demonstrated its usefulness in stroke rehabilitation. Using a conventional depth-sensing camera, the authors developed a virtual box and block test (VBBT) system for hand, finger, and grasping assessments based on the BBT used for the grasping ability test in hospitals. Such a virtual upper-limb-function assessment tool that can be implemented in a home setting could be a key component in a home-based virtual rehabilitation system. Comparison results between the real and virtual BBTs show the possibilities for virtualizing conventional and unsupervised assessments.

After traumatic brain injury (TBI), motor impairment is less common than neurocognitive or behavioral problems. However, about 30% of TBI survivors have reported motor deficits limiting the activities of daily living or participation. After acute primary and secondary injuries, there are subsequent changes including increased GABA-mediated inhibition during the subacute stage and neuroplastic alterations that are adaptive or maladaptive during the chronic stage. Therefore, timely and appropriate neuromodulation by transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) may be beneficial to patients with TBI for neuroprotection or restoration of maladaptive changes. Technologically, combination of imaging-based modelling or simultaneous brain signal monitoring with tDCS could result in greater individualized optimal targeting allowing a more favorable neuroplasticity after TBI. Moreover, a combination of task-oriented training using virtual reality with tDCS can be considered as a potent tele-rehabilitation tool in the home setting, increasing the dose of rehabilitation and neuromodulation, resulting in better motor recovery. This review summarizes the pathophysiology and possible neuroplastic changes in TBI, as well as provides the general concepts and current evidence with respect to the applicability of tDCS in motor recovery. Through its endeavors, it aims to provide insights on further successful development and clinical application of tDCS in motor rehabilitation after TBI.