Testing a music-based virtual reality intervention for upper limb motor rehabilitation in post-stroke hemiparetic patients

Hemiparesis affects the majority of stroke patients in the acute phase. In post-stroke motor rehabilitation patients can re-learn motor sequences through repetitive training. Research showed that virtual reality (VR) can be effectively used in upper limb motor rehabilitation by training motor coordination and gestures in an immersive virtual environment. Another promising line of intervention in post-stroke rehabilitation is the use of music, with evidence supporting the notion that a rhythmic accompaniment promotes the recovery of motor coordination in patients with hemiparetic stroke. Furthermore, studies showed a beneficial effect of the observation of movements performed by a third person in patients with post-stroke hemiparesis. Based this evidence, the present study aims at testing the feasibility and efficacy of a novel music-based VR intervention designed for upper limb motor rehabilitation in post-stroke hemiparetic patients. The treatment consists in upper limb repetitive training activities through the imitation of movements synchronized with a musical accompaniment and is delivered in 10 sessions over 2 weeks, supervised by a physical therapist. Participants wear a VR headset through which they observe egocentric 180° 3D videoclips. The experimental condition (group A) will be compared with a no-music condition (group B), to test the specific effect of music, and with traditional physiotherapy rehabilitation (group C), to test the efficacy of the approach. We expect that the patients undergoing the experimental intervention (group A and group B) will show a greater upper limb motor function improvement, as compared to the active control group. As a secondary endpoint we expect the music component to induce a greater motor improvement as compared to the experimental condition without music.