Assessment of post-stroke extrapersonal neglect using a three-dimensional immersive virtual street crossing program.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the potential of our newly developed three-dimensional immersive virtual reality (VR) program modeled on a real street crossing as an assessment tool for extrapersonal neglect in stroke patients.


METHODS
Thirty-two patients with right-hemispheric stroke (neglect group, 16; non-neglect group, 16) were enrolled. The deviation angle, reaction time, left-to-right reaction time ratio, visual and auditory cue rates, and failure rate were evaluated during missions to keep a virtual avatar safe from a traffic accident in the VR program. The line bisection test and letter cancellation test were also evaluated.


RESULTS
The deviation angle, left-to-right reaction time ratio, left visual and auditory cue rates and left failure rate in the VR program showed significant differences between the two groups (P < 0.05). Depending on the direction of approach of the virtual car, the left parameters were significantly higher than the right parameters in the neglect group (P < 0.05). In the neglect group, the line bisection test correlated significantly with the deviation angle (P < 0.05). None of the other virtual reality parameters significantly correlated with the paper and pencil tests.


CONCLUSIONS
Post-stroke neglect in the extrapersonal space can be easily and safely detected and measured using our three-dimensional immersive virtual street crossing program.
Kim
D Y
DY
Department and Research Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Ku
J
J
Chang
W H
WH
Park
T H
TH
Lim
J Y
JY
Han
K
K
Kim
I Y
IY
Kim
S I
SI
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D000368:Aged; D003196:Computer Graphics; D003463:Cues; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010468:Perceptual Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D010550:Personal Space; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications; D014584:User-Computer Interface