Development of a Virtual Reality Spatial Retraining Therapy to Improve Neglect in Stroke Survivors

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Participants in this study will help test and develop a virtual reality (VR) system that is being designed to help people with spatial neglect after stroke.

Detailed Description
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Participants in this study will be tested to see if they have spatial neglect after their stroke, and the severity of such. Spatial neglect is a disorder that may occur after a stroke that leads to a person paying more attention to one side of their body over the other. Each testing session, they will perform paper and pencil neglect tests before and after playing a VR video game that is being designed as a potential future treatment. They will also give feedback on the game after the session is over. People who have spatial neglect after stroke are encouraged to apply.

Official Title
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Development of a Virtual Reality Spatial Retraining Therapy to Improve Neglect in Stroke Survivors

Conditions
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Stroke, Spatial Neglect

Intervention / Treatment
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* Other: VR Therapy Game


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Read and speak English fluently Have a history of one stroke event that injured one cerebral hemisphere Presence of moderate to severe spatial neglect Exclusion Criteria: History of progressive neurological disorders History of significant psychiatric disorders History of vestibular disorders Living outside a 50-mile radius of Kessler Foundation (located in West Orange, NJ)

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Treatment
Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: VR-based spatial retraining<br>Game-like therapy activities will be taken place in a virtual environment, provided through an immersive head-mounted display. | Other: VR Therapy Game<br>* Participants will complete 15 sessions of VR-based therapy modules developed for use in helping people with spatial neglect. These 15 sessions will be completed over 4-5 weeks.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Behavioral Inattention Test | A battery of visuospatial tests using paper and pencil to perform line crossing, star cancellation, letter cancellation, line bisection, figure copying, and drawing. The test is scored from 0 to 146, with higher values indicating better performance. | At baseline, after intervention, and two weeks after intervention | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Simulator Sickness Questionnaire | A 16-item questionnaire asking for adverse feelings related to the virtual reality experience. Example items are eye strain, difficulty concentrating, headache, and burping. Each item is rated none, slight. moderate, or severe. | After intervention | 
| Semi-structured interview | A 10-minute phone interview will be conducted to explore the subjective experience of the intervention. | Two weeks after intervention |