Exergames on an Unstable Surface in Stroke Inpatients

Aim of this study is to assess the feasibility and effects of exergame-based cognitive-motor training on a labile platform on physical and cognitive functioning in stroke inpatients.

This is two-armed pilot randomized controlled trial taking place in an inpatient neurologic rehabilitation clinic. A total of 30 persons that are undergoing inpatient rehabilitation due to a stroke will be randomly assigned to either the intervention group (IG) or the control group (CG). Participants of the IG will receive exergame-based motor-cognitive training on a labile surface, whereas participants of the CG will train on a stable surface. Primary outcome is feasibility comprising measures of adherence, attrition, safety and usability. Secondary outcomes will be measures of cognitive (psychomotor speed, inhibition, selective attention, cognitive flexibility, brain activity) and motor (functional mobility, gait speed, balance, proprioception) functioning.

As a result of the impairment in cognitive and motor functioning after a stroke, the balance ability worsens and gait becomes unsteady. Of all complications following a stroke, falls are one of the most prevalent and the frequency of total fall events is rising with time after the stroke. Since falls are in general the leading reason for injuries in older adults and about a third of persons older than 65 years fall once a year, there is an overall need for interventions.

Balance training is an established form of exercise in people suffering from stroke and other neurological disabilities. However, cognitive-motor training is superior to single physical training in improving motor functioning e.g. gait speed and walking endurance in stroke patients. More specifically, compared to sequential (e.g. cycling followed by cognitive training) and simultaneous-additional (e.g. cycling while solving an arithmetical task), simultaneous-incorporated motor-cognitive training (e.g. any type of training in which the cognitive task is "incorporated" into the motor task, i.e. the cognitive task is a relevant prerequisite to successfully solve the motor-cognitive task) seems to be the most promising training type for improving gait speed and potentially other functions in stroke patients.

Exergames (interactive (cognitive) games which are played by body movements) are an excellent tool for the delivery of simultaneous-incorporated cognitive-motor training and they have already been used in the context of several frail and neurologic populations, including stroke patients.

Proprioception is used to stabilize the body by sensing its position in space via the sense of joint and limb positioning. Proprioception training addresses the balance and somatosensory stimulation and can therefore build a possible prevention strategy for further falls and of managing ADLs. Combining proprioceptive training with simultaneous cognitive tasks could have additional positive outcomes in stroke rehabilitation. Indeed, a recent systematic review concluded that proprioceptive and dual-task exercises stimulate and promote postural balance, gait, and quality of life and reduce the risk of falls in stroke patients compared with traditional rehabilitation programs.

There is currently just one study that has looked into the effects of exergame-based cognitive-motor training with the additional proprioceptive stimulation (by playing the exergames on a labile platform). They found that compared to the training on a stable platform and to a passive control group, training on an instable platform is more effective for the improvement of reactive balance and functional mobility under dual-task conditions in healthy, community-dwelling older adults. The feasibility and effects of this type of training (exergame training on labile surface and thus rich in proprioceptive stimulation) in stroke patients remains unknown.

Therefore, the aim of this study is to assess the feasibility and effects of exergame-based cognitive-motor training on a labile platform on physical and cognitive functioning in stroke inpatients.

The investigators hypothesize that exergame-based cognitive-motor on a labile surface will be feasible within the context of inpatient rehabilitation of stroke patients. In addition, the investigators hypothesize that compared to training on stable surface, training on a labile platform will be more effective for the improvement of motor and cognitive functioning in stroke inpatients.

This is two-armed pilot randomized controlled trial taking place in an inpatient neurologic rehabilitation clinic. A total of 30 persons that are undergoing inpatient rehabilitation due to a stroke will be randomly assigned to either the intervention group (IG) or the control group (CG). Participants of the IG will receive exergame-based motor-cognitive training on a labile surface, whereas participants of the CG will train on a stable surface. Primary outcome is feasibility comprising measures of adherence, attrition, safety and usability. Secondary outcomes will be measures of cognitive (psychomotor speed, inhibition, selective attention, cognitive flexibility, brain activity) and motor (functional mobility, gait speed, balance, proprioception) functioning.

Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

* Prescription for inpatient rehabilitation due to a stroke
* Ability to provide a signed informed consent
* Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score ≥ 20
* Physically able to stand for at least 3 minutes without external support (self-report)

Exclusion Criteria:

* Insufficient knowledge of the German language to understand the instructions and the games
* Conservatively treated osteoporotic fractures in the last 16 weeks
* Depending on assistance for ambulation (Functional Ambulation Categories \<2),
* Mobility, cognitive, sensory and/or psychiatric limitations or comorbidities which impair the ability to play the exergames and/or conduct the pre-/post assessments