Background:Virtual reality (VR) experiences (through games and virtual environments) are increasingly being used in physical, cognitive, and psychological interventions. However, the impact of VR as an approach to rehabilitation is not fully understood, and its advantages over traditional rehabilitation techniques are yet to be established.Method:We present a systematic review which was conducted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). During February and March of 2018, we conducted searches on PubMed (Medline), Virtual Health Library Search Portal databases (BVS), Web of Science (WOS), and Embase for all VR-related publications in the past 4 years (2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018). The keywords used in the search were “neurorehabilitation” AND “Virtual Reality” AND “devices.”Results:We summarize the literature which highlights that a range of effective VR approaches are available. Studies identified were conducted with poststroke patients, patients with cerebral palsy, spinal cord injuries, and other pathologies. Healthy populations have been used in the development and testing of VR approaches meant to be used in the future by people with neurological disorders. A range of benefits were associated with VR interventions, including improvement in motor functions, greater community participation, and improved psychological and cognitive function.Conclusions:The results from this review provide support for the use of VR as part of a neurorehabilitation program in maximizing recovery.

The heart rate variability analysis could be used as a complementary non-invasive tool for the early diagnosis and better prognosis of autonomic dysfunction, and survival in BC patients. There are many potential clinical applications of heart rate variability analysis in BC patients, and the employment of such approaches could lead to lower impairment of autonomic function in this individuals.

There is a positive relationship between mood states and mental health. The aim of the present study was to investigate the construct validity and internal consistency of the Brunel Mood Scale (BRUMS) for use with different populations, which are physically active and apparently healthy. Measures were obtained from 1295 male (N = 709, 34 ± 20 years, mean ± SD) and female (N = 576, 43 ± 24 years, mean ± SD) volunteers. Factor analysis was used, verifying that six factors (components) accounted for 62.65% of the total variance of the scale. The Varimax method with Kaiser Normalization for the rotation of the factors for the main components, and it was observed that the 24 scale items loaded on six mood factors (anger, depression, tension, vigor, fatigue, and confusion). Internal consistency was good for all the factors identified. We suggest that the results provide some support for validity of the BRUMS for use with different populations, which are physically active and apparently healthy. KeywordsMental Health, Mood States, Psychometrics, Brunel Mood Scale, BRUMS R. Brandt et al. 126

Purpose: To evaluate the performance improvement of individuals with hemiparesis cerebral palsy (CP) using a virtual task. Participants and methods: Twenty individuals were selected and distributed into two groups. The experimental group (CP group) comprised ten individuals with a medical diagnosis of CP, and ten individuals with typical development (sex-and age-matched) composed the control group (TD group). Both groups followed the same intervention protocol, which included a virtual coincident timing task: the participants performed upper limb movements in front of a computer's webcam and interacted with the task with the aim of virtually intercepting spheres that fell in four rows following the rhythm of a pre-selected song during an 8-minute period. To verify the influence on a real task, pre-and posttests were performed in a similar task, but with physical contact (using the spacebar on the keyboard of a computer). To analyze the data, we evaluated the variable, constant, and absolute errors during the task and in the pre-and posttests. Results: The results showed that there was an improvement in performance between the pre-and posttests; that is, after practicing the task in an environment without physical contact, there was a performance improvement in posttests in the real task, but only for the CP group. Moreover, there were significant differences in precision and accuracy between the two groups, with worse performance in the CP group. Conclusion: Individuals with CP presented better performance in the real task after practice in a virtual reality task, albeit with worse performance compared with individuals with TD. This is an interesting result that supports the possible use of virtual tasks for the rehabilitation of individuals with CP.

Introduction:Ageing is usually accompanied by deterioration of physical abilities, such as muscular strength, sensory sensitivity, and functional capacity, making chronic diseases, and the well-being of older adults new challenges to global public health.Objective:The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether a task practiced in a virtual environment could promote better performance and enable transfer to the same task in a real environment.Method:The study evaluated 65 older adults of both genders, aged 60 to 82 years (M = 69.6, SD = 6.3). A timing coincident task was applied to measure the perceptual-motor ability to perform a motor response. The participants were divided into 2 groups: started in a real interface and started in a virtual interface.Results:All subjects improved their performance during the practice, but improvement was not observed for the real interface, as the participants were near maximum performance from the beginning of the task. However, there was no transfer of performance from the virtual to real environment or vice versa.Conclusions:The virtual environment was shown to provide improvement of performance with a short-term motor learning protocol in a timing coincident task. This result suggests that the practice of tasks in a virtual environment seems to be a promising tool for the assessment and training of healthy older adults, even though there was no transfer of performance to a real environment.Trial registration:ISRCTN02960165. Registered 8 November 2016.