IRCCS Centro Neurolesi "Bonino Pulejo", Messina, Italy.
University of Catania, Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Science, Italy.
Clin Neurol Neurosurg. 2021 Sep;208:106828. doi: 10.1016/j.clineuro.2021.106828. Epub 2021 Jul 21.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) can adversely affect several domains of cognitive function, including attention, information processing, memory and learning, executive functions and visuospatial skills. In recent years, technological innovations have proven effective in improving motor and cognitive impairment in neurological patients, including those affected by MS.
The study aims to evaluate cognitive outcomes after rehabilitation training with the Virtual Reality rehabilitation system (VRRS) in patients suffering from MS.
All patients were randomized into either the control group (CG: 15 patients) receiving conventional cognitive rehab or the experimental group (EG) using virtual reality (VR) (15 patients). Both groups underwent the same amount of cognitive training, 3 times a week for 8 weeks. They were submitted to neuropsychological assessment before (T0) and after the rehabilitation treatment (T1).
Our data showed that both conventional and VR cognitive rehabilitation approaches improved mood (p < 0.001) and visuospatial skills. However, only in the EG a significant improvement in specific cognitive domains (p < 0.001), including learning ability, short-term verbal memory, lexical access ability, as well as quality of life related to mental states, was found.
The present study demonstrated that VR can be a motivational and effective tool for cognitive recovery in MS patients.
多发性硬化症（MS）会对认知功能的多个领域产生不利影响，包括注意力、信息处理、记忆和学习、执行功能以及视空间技能。近年来，技术创新已被证明可有效改善神经系统疾病患者（包括 MS 患者）的运动和认知障碍。
本研究旨在评估使用虚拟现实康复系统（VRRS）对 MS 患者进行康复训练后的认知结果。
所有患者均随机分为对照组（CG：15 例），接受常规认知康复治疗，或实验组（EG），采用虚拟现实（VR）治疗（15 例）。两组均接受相同数量的认知训练，每周 3 次，共 8 周。他们在康复治疗前（T0）和治疗后（T1）都接受了神经心理学评估。
我们的数据显示，常规和 VR 认知康复方法都改善了情绪（p<0.001）和视空间技能。然而，只有在 EG 中，特定认知领域（包括学习能力、短期言语记忆、词汇获取能力以及与精神状态相关的生活质量）才发现有显著改善（p<0.001）。
本研究表明，VR 可以成为 MS 患者认知康复的一种有激励性和有效的工具。
