Li Xiangyang, Yin Jiahui, Li Huiyuan, Xu Gongcheng, Huo Congcong, Xie Hui, Li Wenhao, Liu Jizhong, Li Zengyong
Nanchang Key Laboratory of Medical and Technology Research, Nanchang University, Nanchang, China.
Beijing Key Laboratory of Rehabilitation Technical Aids for Old-Age Disability, National Research Center for Rehabilitation Technical Aids, Beijing, China.
Front Hum Neurosci. 2022 Mar 31;16:798416. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.798416. eCollection 2022.
Virtual reality (VR) grasping exercise training helps patients participate actively in their recovery and is a critical approach to the rehabilitation of hand dysfunction. This study aimed to explore the effects of active participation and VR grasping on brain function combined with the kinematic information obtained during VR exercises.
The cerebral oxygenation signals of the prefrontal cortex (LPFC/RPFC), the motor cortex (LMC/RMC), and the occipital cortex (LOC/ROC) were measured by functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in 18 young people during the resting state, grasping movements, and VR grasping movements. The EPPlus plug-in was used to collect the hand motion data during simulated interactive grasping. The wavelet amplitude (WA) of each cerebral cortex and the wavelet phase coherence (WPCO) of each pair of channels were calculated by wavelet analysis. The total difference in acceleration difference of the hand in the VR grasping movements was calculated to acquire kinematic characteristics (KCs). The cortical activation and brain functional connectivity (FC) of each brain region were compared and analyzed, and a significant correlation was found between VR grasping movements and brain region activation.
Compared with the resting state, the WA values of LPFC, RPFC, LMC, RMC, and ROC increased during the grasping movements and the VR grasping movements, these changes were significant in LPFC ( = 0.0093) and LMC ( = 0.0007). The WA values of LMC ( = 0.0057) in the VR grasping movements were significantly higher than those in the grasping movements. The WPCO of the cerebral cortex increased during grasping exercise compared with the resting state. Nevertheless, the number of significant functional connections during VR grasping decreased significantly, and only the WPCO strength between the LPFC and LMC was enhanced. The increased WA of the LPFC, RPFC, LMC, and RMC during VR grasping movements compared with the resting state showed a significant negative correlation with KCs ( < 0.001).
The VR grasping movements can improve the activation and FC intensity of the ipsilateral brain region, inhibit the FC of the contralateral brain region, and reduce the quantity of brain resources allocated to the task. Thus, ordered grasping exercises can enhance active participation in rehabilitation and help to improve brain function.
虚拟现实（VR）抓握练习训练有助于患者积极参与康复过程，是手部功能障碍康复的关键方法。本研究旨在结合VR练习过程中获取的运动学信息，探讨主动参与和VR抓握对脑功能的影响。
采用功能近红外光谱（fNIRS）测量18名年轻人在静息状态、抓握动作和VR抓握动作期间前额叶皮质（LPFC/RPFC）、运动皮质（LMC/RMC）和枕叶皮质（LOC/ROC）的脑氧合信号。使用EPPlus插件在模拟交互式抓握过程中收集手部运动数据。通过小波分析计算每个脑皮质的小波幅度（WA）和每对通道的小波相位相干性（WPCO）。计算VR抓握动作中手部加速度差异的总差值以获取运动学特征（KCs）。比较并分析每个脑区的皮质激活和脑功能连接（FC），发现VR抓握动作与脑区激活之间存在显著相关性。
与静息状态相比，抓握动作和VR抓握动作期间LPFC、RPFC、LMC、RMC和ROC的WA值增加，这些变化在LPFC（=0.0093）和LMC（=0.0007）中显著。VR抓握动作中LMC的WA值（=0.0057）显著高于抓握动作中的值。与静息状态相比，抓握练习期间脑皮质的WPCO增加。然而，VR抓握期间显著功能连接的数量显著减少，仅LPFC和LMC之间的WPCO强度增强。与静息状态相比，VR抓握动作期间LPFC、RPFC、LMC和RMC的WA增加与KCs呈显著负相关（<0.001）。
VR抓握动作可提高同侧脑区的激活和FC强度，抑制对侧脑区的FC，并减少分配给该任务的脑资源量。因此，有序的抓握练习可增强康复中的主动参与并有助于改善脑功能。
