162 research outputs found

    Research in Neuroscience and Virtual Reality

    Get PDF

    Neuropatías del Nervio Cubital a Nivel del codo: factores pronósticos

    Get PDF
    En el presente trabajo se estudian los factores pronósticos invocados como influyentes en el resultado quirúrgico de las neuropatías del nervio cubital a nivel del codo. Desde 1970 los autores han intervenido 37 lesiones cubitales, que han clasificado según APFELBERG y LARSON. El grupo más frecuente de esta serie ha sido la Parálisis Cubital Tardía (14 casos), siguiéndole en importancia numérica el Síndrome Idiopático del Túnel Cubital (9 casos). La liberación con epineurotomía y transposición subcutánea, ha sido la técnica quirúrgica más veces utilizada (17 veces). En la valoración objetiva de resultados, han utilizado la usada por ADELAAR y colaboradores. Tras el análisis y discusión de los resultados, concluyen que son factores pronósticos negativos en el preoperatorio: la amiotrofía interna; la ausencia de potenciales de fibrilación y la ausencia de potenciales sensitivos evocados. Los resultados globales de la serie han sido satisfactorios, ya que pasamos de un valor medio preoperatorio de lesión moderada de 4 puntos a un valor medio final de 6,5 puntos.The authors have studied the forecast factor called on as influential at the surgical results of neuropathie s of ulnar nerve in the elbow joint. Since 1970, the authors have operated on 37 patients affected by ulnar neuropathies, classified according to APFELBERG and LARSON. 14 cases had a tardy ulnar nerve palsy, 9 case s of cubital tunne l syndrome. The surgical technique more frequent used was epineurotomy and anterior subcutaneous transposition of ulnar nerve (17 cases). They have employed the method of ADELAAR et al. to evaluate the results and they conclude that the factors of bad prognosis are intense amyotrophy, absence of fibrilation potentials and absenc e of evoked sensitive potentials. The results of this group wer e satisfactory, of the average value preoperatory of moderate lession was 4 points, after surgery this was 6,5 points at last

    Using virtual reality and mood-induction procedures to test products with consumers of ceramic tiles

    Get PDF
    This work describes a Virtual Reality Environment (VRE), through which users are able to view and test ceramic tile products. Users’ virtual interfacing with the products generated emotional experiences that allowed them to feel “engaged” with the products. Users could choose between different kinds of products and test them out in order to know how they would look in a real-world context. In the VRE several mood-induction Procedures for inducing relaxation were included. The VRE was tested with respect to its ability to induce relaxation and sense of presence in 26 participants. It was also analyzed the level of satisfaction. Measures included the Visual Analogue Scale, the Self-Assessment Manikin, the Presence Self-Assessment Manikin, and a Satisfaction Scale. The results showed that the VRE was effective among participants in inducing relaxation and high sense of presence. In addition, participants’ satisfaction with the experience in the VRE was high. The VRE thus could be a useful tool for showing and testing products and for evoking a positive emotional association while users are interacting

    Evolution of spatial ability in freshman engineering students: a comparison between 2012 and 2019 cohorts

    Full text link
    [EN] This study makes a comparison between the level of spatial skills of freshman students enrolled on the Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Engineering at Universitat Politècnica de Valencia (Spain) between the years 2012 and 2019 measured using the Mental Rotations Test (MRT) and the Differential Aptitude Test: Space Relations subset (DAT:SR). Spatial skills are a determining factor for success in technical studies, so it is important to know how the level of these skills has evolved over time for new students arriving at the University. The article presents an introduction to the field of spatial skills and how they are usually evaluated, and present the results obtained from a sample of 55 students in 2012 and 158 in the 2019 course. Online versions of the MRT and DAT:SR were administered to investigate how the performance of the students evolved throughout the execution of the test. A notable worsening in the success rate was evidenced as the test progressed in both cohorts. Results showed comparable mean scores in the DAT:SR in both cohorts and a slightly better performance in the MRT for the 2019 cohort.This work has been funded by Vicerrectorado de Estudios, Calidad y Acreditación of Universitat Politècnica de València (Valencia, Spain).Llorens Rodríguez, R.; Contero, M.; Alcañiz Raya, ML. (2020). Evolution of spatial ability in freshman engineering students: a comparison between 2012 and 2019 cohorts. IATED Academy. 7172-7179. https://doi.org/10.21125/edulearn.2020.1844S7172717

    Using Portable EEG Devices to Evaluate Emotional Regulation Strategies during Virtual Reality Exposure

    Full text link
    [EN] As Virtual Reality (VR) is starting to be used to train emotional regulation strategies, it would be interesting to propose objective techniques to monitor the emotional reactions of participants during the virtual experience. In this work, the main goal is to analyze if portable EEG systems are adequate to monitor brain activity changes caused by the emotional regulation strategies applied by the participants. The EEG signals captured from subjects that navigate through a virtual environment designed to induce a negative mood will be compared between three experimental groups that will receive different instructions about the emotional regulation strategies to apply. The study will allow us to validate the possibilities of portable EEG devices to monitor emotional regulation strategies during VR exposure.This study was funded by Vicerrectorado de Investigación de la Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain, PAID-06-2011, R.N. 1984; by Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia, Spain, Project Game Teen (TIN2010-20187) and partially by projects Consolider-C (SEJ2006-14301/PSIC), “CIBER of Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition, an initiative of ISCIII” and Excellence Research Program PROMETEO (Generalitat Valenciana. Consellería de Educación, 2008-157). The work of A. Rodríguez was supported by the Spanish MEC under an FPI Grant BES-2011-043316.Rey, B.; Rodríguez Ortega, A.; Alcañiz Raya, ML. (2012). Using Portable EEG Devices to Evaluate Emotional Regulation Strategies during Virtual Reality Exposure. Studies in Health Technology and Informatics. 181:223-227. https://doi.org/10.3233/978-1-61499-121-2-223S22322718

    The influence of virtual reality in e-commerce

    Full text link
    [EN] The development of virtual reality (VR), together with other technological innovations will shape the future of e-retailing. This research studies the effectiveness of different VR formats and devices in a virtual store environment, namely V-commerce. This study proposes and test a conceptual model that analyses the relations between sense of presence, brand recall and purchase intention, while also going deeper into their antecedents. Our findings suggest differences in purchase intention depending on VR format and device used. No differences are shown in sense of presence and affect by VR format and device. Our tested model suggests a dual route of influence of VR on consumers' purchase intention in virtual stores: one through emotions and sense of presence and the other through the affect evoked by the virtual environment and brand recall. Lastly, some managerial implications and methodological issues are considered.This work has been developed by Instituto de Investigacion e Innovacion en Bioingenieria (I3B), Universitat Politecnica de Valencia and was partially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness funded project "Advanced Therapeutically Tools for Mental Health" (DPI2016-77396-R) and the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, ECO2014-53837R.Martínez-Navarro, J.; Bigné-Alcañiz, E.; Guixeres Provinciale, J.; Alcañiz Raya, ML.; Torrecilla-Moreno, C. (2019). The influence of virtual reality in e-commerce. Journal of Business Research. 100:475-482. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.10.054S47548210

    Effectiveness of a Wii balance board-based system (eBaViR) for balance rehabilitation: a pilot randomized clinical trial in patients with acquired brain injury

    Get PDF
    Background: Acquired brain injury (ABI) is the main cause of death and disability among young adults. In most cases, survivors can experience balance instability, resulting in functional impairments that are associated with diminished health-related quality of life. Traditional rehabilitation therapy may be tedious. This can reduce motivation and adherence to the treatment and thus provide a limited benefit to patients with balance disorders. We present eBaViR (easy Balance Virtual Rehabilitation), a system based on the Nintendo¿ Wii Balance Board¿ (WBB), which has been designed by clinical therapists to improve standing balance in patients with ABI through motivational and adaptative exercises. We hypothesize that eBaViR, is feasible, safe and potentially effective in enhancing standing balance. Methods. In this contribution, we present a randomized and controlled single blinded study to assess the influence of a WBB-based virtual rehabilitation system on balance rehabilitation with ABI hemiparetic patients. This study describes the eBaViR system and evaluates its effectiveness considering 20 one-hour-sessions of virtual reality rehabilitation (n = 9) versus standard rehabilitation (n = 8). Effectiveness was evaluated by means of traditional static and dynamic balance scales. Results: The final sample consisted of 11 men and 6 women. Mean ±SD age was 47.3 ± 17.8 and mean SD chronicity was 570.9 ± 313.2 days. Patients using eBaViR had a significant improvement in static balance (p = 0.011 in Berg Balance Scale and p = 0.011 in Anterior Reaches Test) compared to patients who underwent traditional therapy. Regarding dynamic balance, the results showed significant improvement over time in all these measures, but no significant group effect or group-by-time interaction was detected for any of them, which suggests that both groups improved in the same way. There were no serious adverse events during treatment in either group. Conclusions: The results suggest that eBaViR represents a safe and effective alternative to traditional treatment to improve static balance in the ABI population. These results have encouraged us to reinforce the virtual treatment with new exercises, so an evolution of the system is currently being developed. © 2011 Gil-Gómez et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.This study was funded in part by Ministerio de Educacion y Ciencia Spain, Projects Consolider-C (SEJ2006-14301/PSIC), "CIBER of Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition, an initiative of ISCIII" and the Excellence Research Program PROMETEO (Generalitat Valenciana. Conselleria de Educacion, 2008-157).Gil-Gómez, J.; Llorens Rodríguez, R.; Alcañiz Raya, ML.; Colomer Font, C. (2011). Effectiveness of a Wii balance board-based system (eBaViR) for balance rehabilitation: a pilot randomized clinical trial in patients with acquired brain injury. Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation. 8(30):1-9. https://doi.org/10.1186/1743-0003-8-30S19830Nichols-Larsen, D. S., Clark, P. C., Zeringue, A., Greenspan, A., & Blanton, S. (2005). Factors Influencing Stroke Survivors’ Quality of Life During Subacute Recovery. Stroke, 36(7), 1480-1484. doi:10.1161/01.str.0000170706.13595.4fTeasell, R., Meyer, M. J., McClure, A., Pan, C., Murie-Fernandez, M., Foley, N., & Salter, K. (2009). Stroke Rehabilitation: An International Perspective. Topics in Stroke Rehabilitation, 16(1), 44-56. doi:10.1310/tsr1601-44Sveistrup, H. (2004). Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation, 1(1), 10. doi:10.1186/1743-0003-1-10Holden, M. K. (2005). Virtual Environments for Motor Rehabilitation: Review. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 8(3), 187-211. doi:10.1089/cpb.2005.8.187Crosbie, J. H., Lennon, S., Basford, J. R., & McDonough, S. M. (2007). Virtual reality in stroke rehabilitation: Still more virtual than real. Disability and Rehabilitation, 29(14), 1139-1146. doi:10.1080/09638280600960909Haas, B. M., & Burden, A. M. (2000). Validity of weight distribution and sway measurements of the Balance Performance Monitor. Physiotherapy Research International, 5(1), 19-32. doi:10.1002/pri.181Srivastava, A., Taly, A. B., Gupta, A., Kumar, S., & Murali, T. (2009). Post-stroke balance training: Role of force platform with visual feedback technique. Journal of the Neurological Sciences, 287(1-2), 89-93. doi:10.1016/j.jns.2009.08.051Deutsch, J. E., Borbely, M., Filler, J., Huhn, K., & Guarrera-Bowlby, P. (2008). Use of a Low-Cost, Commercially Available Gaming Console (Wii) for Rehabilitation of an Adolescent With Cerebral Palsy. Physical Therapy, 88(10), 1196-1207. doi:10.2522/ptj.20080062Yong Joo, L., Soon Yin, T., Xu, D., Thia, E., Pei Fen, C., Kuah, C., & Kong, K. (2010). A feasibility study using interactive commercial off-the-shelf computer gaming in upper limb rehabilitation in patients after stroke. Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine, 42(5), 437-441. doi:10.2340/16501977-0528Clark, R. A., Bryant, A. L., Pua, Y., McCrory, P., Bennell, K., & Hunt, M. (2010). Validity and reliability of the Nintendo Wii Balance Board for assessment of standing balance. Gait & Posture, 31(3), 307-310. doi:10.1016/j.gaitpost.2009.11.012Young, W., Ferguson, S., Brault, S., & Craig, C. (2011). Assessing and training standing balance in older adults: A novel approach using the ‘Nintendo Wii’ Balance Board. Gait & Posture, 33(2), 303-305. doi:10.1016/j.gaitpost.2010.10.089Shih, C.-H., Shih, C.-T., & Chiang, M.-S. (2010). A new standing posture detector to enable people with multiple disabilities to control environmental stimulation by changing their standing posture through a commercial Wii Balance Board. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 31(1), 281-286. doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2009.09.013Shih, C.-H., Shih, C.-T., & Chu, C.-L. (2010). Assisting people with multiple disabilities actively correct abnormal standing posture with a Nintendo Wii Balance Board through controlling environmental stimulation. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 31(4), 936-942. doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2010.03.004Folstein, M. F., Folstein, S. E., & McHugh, P. R. (1975). «Mini-mental state». Journal of Psychiatric Research, 12(3), 189-198. doi:10.1016/0022-3956(75)90026-6Geurts, A. C. H., de Haart, M., van Nes, I. J. W., & Duysens, J. (2005). A review of standing balance recovery from stroke. Gait & Posture, 22(3), 267-281. doi:10.1016/j.gaitpost.2004.10.002Marsden, J. F. (2005). The vestibular control of balance after stroke. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, 76(5), 670-679. doi:10.1136/jnnp.2004.046565Perron, M., Malouin, F., & Moffet, H. (2003). Assessing advanced locomotor recovery after total hip arthroplasty with the timed stair test. Clinical Rehabilitation, 17(7), 780-786. doi:10.1191/0269215503cr696oaMcDowell, B. C., Kerr, C., Parkes, J., & Cosgrove, A. (2005). Validity of a 1 minute walk test for children with cerebral palsy. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 47(11), 744. doi:10.1017/s0012162205001568O’Shea, S. D., Taylor, N. F., & Paratz, J. D. (2007). Measuring Muscle Strength for People With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Retest Reliability of Hand-Held Dynamometry. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 88(1), 32-36. doi:10.1016/j.apmr.2006.10.002Tyson, S. F., Hanley, M., Chillala, J., Selley, A. B., & Tallis, R. C. (2007). The Relationship Between Balance, Disability, and Recovery After Stroke: Predictive Validity of the Brunel Balance Assessment. Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair, 21(4), 341-346. doi:10.1177/1545968306296966Brooks, D., Davis, A. M., & Naglie, G. (2006). Validity of 3 Physical Performance Measures in Inpatient Geriatric Rehabilitation. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 87(1), 105-110. doi:10.1016/j.apmr.2005.08.109Jørgensen, H. S., Nakayama, H., Raaschou, H. O., Vive-Larsen, J., Støier, M., & Olsen, T. S. (1995). Outcome and time course of recovery in stroke. Part II: Time course of recovery. The copenhagen stroke study. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 76(5), 406-412. doi:10.1016/s0003-9993(95)80568-0Ferrarello, F., Baccini, M., Rinaldi, L. A., Cavallini, M. C., Mossello, E., Masotti, G., … Di Bari, M. (2010). Efficacy of physiotherapy interventions late after stroke: a meta-analysis. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, 82(2), 136-143. doi:10.1136/jnnp.2009.19642

    Workflow and tools to track and visualize behavioural data from a Virtual Reality environment using a lightweight GIS

    Full text link
    [EN] Evaluating user behaviour in Virtual Reality is a challenge for every re-searcher involved in designing and executing experiments in immersive envi-ronments. Behavioural information could lead to relevant findings in pres-ence, engagement or, for example, the mood of the player during a VR ex-perience. Saving this kind of information and exploding it in an appropriateway could lead researchers or even game designers to identify relevant be-havioural patterns or correlations. In this article, we are proposing a simple,replicable workflow and a set of scripted tools in order to acquire user¿s navi-gational data and visualize it using the inherent capabilities of a GeographicInformation System. Our workflow goes from data acquisition in Unity3Dwith C to the final representation in a map using Leaflet, an open-sourceGIS JavaScript based, passing through the pre-processing of XML files. Us-ing a GIS to visualize navigational data is a flexible, ecological and effectivesolution that improves productivity and awareness on data storytelling ca-pabilities.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities funded project ATHENEA-DPI2017-91537-EXP and by the European Commission project RHUMBO H2020-MSCA-ITN-2018-813234.Soler-Domínguez, JL.; Contero, M.; Alcañiz Raya, ML. (2019). Workflow and tools to track and visualize behavioural data from a Virtual Reality environment using a lightweight GIS. SoftwareX. 10:1-6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.softx.2019.100269S161

    Erratum to : Effect of a mixed reality-based intervention on arm, hand, and finger function on chronic stroke

    Get PDF
    Altres ajuts: This study was funded in part by the Project TEREHA (IDI-20110844) and Project NeuroVR (TIN2013-44741-R) of the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad of Spain, the Project Consolider-C (SEJ2006-14301/PSIC) of the Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia of Spain, the "CIBER of Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition, an initiative of ISCIII", and the Excellence Research Program PROMETEO of the Conselleria de Educación of Generalitat Valenciana (2008-157)Erratum: The original article mistakenly omitted a key affiliation for the author, Carolina Colomer. The authors would therefore like to state the affiliation of 'Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain' as the second affiliation for Dr Colomer.Furthermore, the authors would also like to add a statement to the Acknowledgements sub-section stating: "This work has been developed within the framework of a medical doctorate at the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona.

    Reliability and comparison of Kinect-based methods for estimating spatiotemporal gait parameters of healthy and post-stroke individuals

    Full text link
    [EN] Different studies have analyzed the potential of the off-the-shelf Microsoft Kinect, in its different versions, to estimate spatiotemporal gait parameters as a portable markerless low-cost alternative to laboratory grade systems. However, variability in populations, measures, and methodologies prevents accurate comparison of the results. The objective of this study was to determine and compare the reliability of the existing Kinect-based methods to estimate spatiotemporal gait parameters in healthy and post-stroke adults. Forty-five healthy individuals and thirty-eight stroke survivors participated in this study. Participants walked five meters at a comfortable speed and their spatiotemporal gait parameters were estimated from the data retrieved by a Kinect v2, using the most common methods in the literature, and by visual inspection of the videotaped performance. Errors between both estimations were computed. For both healthy and post-stroke participants, highest accuracy was obtained when using the speed of the ankles to estimate gait speed (3.6¿5.5 cm/s), stride length (2.5¿5.5 cm), and stride time (about 45 ms), and when using the distance between the sacrum and the ankles and toes to estimate double support time (about 65 ms) and swing time (60¿90 ms). Although the accuracy of these methods is limited, these measures could occasionally complement traditional tools.This work was supported by Universitat Politecnica de Valencia (Grant PAID-10-16) and Fundacio La Marato de la TV3 (Project VALORA).Latorre, J.; Llorens Rodríguez, R.; Colomer, C.; Alcañiz Raya, ML. (2018). Reliability and comparison of Kinect-based methods for estimating spatiotemporal gait parameters of healthy and post-stroke individuals. Journal of Biomechanics. 72:268-273. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2018.03.008S2682737
    corecore