Extended Reality (XR) technologies are increasingly being used for healthcare, including the assessment and treatment of neurological disorders. However, developers and clinicians lack theory-driven and evidence-based guidelines for developing and using XR for neurorehabilitation.
The neuroXRehab COST Action brings together researchers, developers, clinicians and patient representatives from across Europe to advance the neurorehabilitation of spatial neglect following acquired brain injury.
Spatial Neglect
Spatial neglect is a common sequela after brain injury affecting spatial cognition. A person with spatial neglect fails to attend or respond to stimuli on the opposite side of the injured hemisphere. Spatial neglect has a huge impact on outcomes.
Extended reality
XR is an umbrella term for augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), and virtual reality (VR). These technologies rely on 3D spatial computation, integrating high-resolution spatial and temporal data — key characteristics of spatial cognition.
The vision is that subtypes of spatial neglect (e.g. motor and sensor neglect) and differential diagnostics (e.g. hemiparesis and motor neglect, hemianopia and visual neglect) can be assessed using XR technologies.
Based on this assessment, individually tailored treatment programs (e.g. prism adaptation training, mirror therapy, constraint induced movement or visual-field therapy) can be delivered through XR platforms.
After discharge, patients carry on their treatment programmes via telerehabilitation across the continuum of care, monitored online by healthcare professionals, to ensure greater specificity, intensity and efficiency.
Within the neuroXRehab Action’s four-year life-time we will establish a European and International network of clinicians, researchers, and developers with expertise in assessment and treatment of spatial neglect and related disorders using XR technologies.
This network will review the existing knowledge and literature, establish expert consensus on assessment and treatment of spatial neglect in XR environments, develop common data elements, data policy, and data sharing platforms, plan and identify funding for future multicentre trials.
The network is divided into five working groups (WGs). Explore them below.
Systematically collects theoretical and empirical evidence from the literature, technical and clinical expertise from the Action members, and knowledge on the latest XR technology for the assessment and treatment of SN and related disorders.
Operationalises methodologies for assessment of SN and related disorders using XR, to improve the diagnostic accuracy of the many subsymptoms of SN and differentiate diagnostics of related disorders and define common data elements.
Standardises methodologies for implementing treatment methods in XR for SN and related disorders. The aim will be to implement conventional and novel treatment approaches with XR that are more flexible allowing for individualised neurorehabilitation.
Facilitates data sharing for multicentre studies on diagnostic accuracy and treatment efficacy of SN and related disorders. The main task is to define data policies, agree on best practices, identify and extend suitable ontologies for data sharing and re-use, and create a data storage/sharing platforms.
Prepares protocols for future multicentre studies based on the activities and deliverables from WG1 (meta study), WG2 (assessment), WG3 (treatment), and WG4 (data policy).