title: Virtual reality and cognitive rehabilitation: a review of current outcome research.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recent advancement in the technology of virtual reality (VR) has allowed improved applications for cognitive rehabilitation.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this review is to facilitate comparisons of therapeutic efficacy of different VR interventions.
  
  
  METHODS
  A systematic approach for the review of VR cognitive rehabilitation outcome research addressed the nature of each sample, treatment apparatus, experimental treatment protocol, control treatment protocol, statistical analysis and results. Using this approach, studies that provide valid evidence of efficacy of VR applications are summarized. Applications that have not yet undergone controlled outcome study but which have promise are introduced.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seventeen studies conducted over the past eight years are reviewed. The few randomized controlled trials that have been completed show that some applications are effective in treating cognitive deficits in people with neurological diagnoses although further study is needed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Innovations requiring further study include the use of enriched virtual environments that provide haptic sensory input in addition to visual and auditory inputs and the use of commercially available gaming systems to provide tele-rehabilitation services. Recommendations are offered to improve efficacy of rehabilitation, to improve scientific rigor of rehabilitation research and to broaden access to the evidence-based treatments that this research has identified.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Eric B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Larson
authors.affiliation: Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA Institute of Psychology, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Maia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Feigon
authors.affiliation: Fundación FIVAN, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gagliardo
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Assaf Y
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Dvorkin
mesh_terms: D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012371:Robotics; D013813:Therapy, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D014584:User-Computer Interface
keywords: Brain injury; outcome; rehabilitation; virtual reality