Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw 2022 May 24. Epub 2022 May 24.

Health, Aging & Society, Faculty of Social Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

The current study aimed to identify specific feedback mechanics and psychological processes that may contribute to positive outcomes in biofeedback applications for anxiety regulation. Specifically, using a dismantling study design, the unique impact of visualizations that directly mirror users' breathing was examined in relation to anxiety regulation as well as locus of control and self-efficacy. Following an anxiety induction, participants ( = 67) were randomly assigned to play one of two variations of a biofeedback video game. Read More

Top Stroke Rehabil 2022 Apr 29:1-8. Epub 2022 Apr 29.

Parkwood Institute Research, Lawson Health Research Institute, Parkwood Institute, London, Canada.

Introduction: Standardization of first principles has transformed stroke rehabilitation in developed countries and helped guide the appropriate allocation of resources to ensure better outcomes for patients. There have been challenges in incorporating new evidence into stroke rehabilitation practices. The sheer number of RCTs can be daunting to the average clinician, made worse by the lack of a framework for their application. Read More

IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng 2022 3;30:1113-1119. Epub 2022 May 3.

Keeping patients from being distracted while performing motor rehabilitation is important. An EEG-based biofeedback strategy has been introduced to help encourage participants to focus their attention on rehabilitation tasks. Here, we suggest a BCI-based monitoring method using a flickering cursor and target that can evoke a steady-state visually evoked potential (SSVEP) using the fact that the SSVEP is modulated by a patient's attention. Read More

Front Psychiatry 2022 1;13:854088. Epub 2022 Apr 1.

Department of Internal Medicine, Unit of Addiction Medicine, G.B. Rossi Hospital, Verona, Italy.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most successful protocol in gambling disorder (GD) treatment. However, it presents some weaknesses, especially concerning relapse prevention (RP). RP is one of the most important therapeutic steps, aiming at managing cravings and to avoid future relapse increasing perceived self-efficacy. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2022 02 28;19(5). Epub 2022 Feb 28.

Department and Research Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Korea.

Therapeutic goals for hemiplegic patients with neurological impairments are mainly focused on improving their independent lives. Based on the previously reported effectiveness of Wii Fit balance training, this study investigated the most influential outcomes after long-term intensive training (including balance and functional factors) on quality of life in hemiplegic patients. The intervention group (n = 21) received Nintendo Wii Fit balance training under supervision, and control group (n = 20) received conventional balance training by an occupational therapist. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2022 02 22;19(5). Epub 2022 Feb 22.

Institute of Information Science and Technologies "Alessandro Faedo", National Research Council, Via Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy.

Anorexia Nervosa (AN) patients exhibit distorted body representation. The purpose of this study was to explore studies that analyze virtual reality (VR) applications, related to body image issues, to propose a new tool in this field. We conducted a systematic review in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Read More

Front Psychol 2022 10;13:806163. Epub 2022 Feb 10.

Behavioral Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands.

It is widely recognized that police performance may be hindered by psychophysiological state changes during acute stress. To address the need for awareness and control of these physiological changes, police academies in many countries have implemented Heart-Rate Variability (HRV) biofeedback training. Despite these trainings now being widely delivered in classroom setups, they typically lack the arousing action context needed for successful transfer to the operational field, where officers must apply learned skills, particularly when stress levels rise. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2022 02 17;19(4). Epub 2022 Feb 17.

Department of Nursing and Physiotherapy, University of the Balearic Islands, 07122 Palma, Spain.

Virtual Reality (VR) is a technology that has been used to provide the Mirror Visual Feedback (MVF) illusion to patients with promising results. In the present work, the goal is to design, develop and test a portable VR-based MVF system that monitors behavioral information about the performance of a simple motor task. The developed application runs in a stand-alone VR system and allows the researcher to select the real and virtual hands used to perform the motor task. Read More

Elife 2022 02 18;11. Epub 2022 Feb 18.

Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, United States.

Path integration is a sensorimotor computation that can be used to infer latent dynamical states by integrating self-motion cues. We studied the influence of sensory observation (visual/vestibular) and latent control dynamics (velocity/acceleration) on human path integration using a novel motion-cueing algorithm. Sensory modality and control dynamics were both varied randomly across trials, as participants controlled a joystick to steer to a memorized target location in virtual reality. Read More

Med Eng Phys 2022 01 25;99:103732. Epub 2021 Nov 25.

School of Computing, Informatics and Decision Systems Engineering, Arizona State University.

Mobile visualization of the spine during therapeutic exercise may unlock the potential benefits of biofeedback for home-based therapy and fitness programs. In this paper we present the design and validation of a new approach to wearable sensors to close the digital-physical gap between sensor data and 3D spine posture by supporting animation of a customizable 3D thoracolumbar spine model that may eventually enable a mobile, virtual reality (VR) visual biofeedback. First, we propose a linear model of the dependency between four stretch signals from the dorsal surface and the angular positions of the thoracolumbar spine on the sagittal, coronal, and transverse planes. Read More

Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova 2021 ;121(12. Vyp. 2):26-32

Vladimirsky Moscow Regional Research Clinical Institute, Moscow, Russia.

Cerebral stroke is one of the leading causes of disability in the modern world. Despite the high efficacy of high-tech treatment methods, the issue of rehabilitation is extremely relevant for post-stroke patients. Much attention is paid to non-pharmacological approaches; their use in the treatment process seems to be very promising. Read More

J Neuroeng Rehabil 2022 01 16;19(1). Epub 2022 Jan 16.

Institute of Allied Health Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.

Background: Error amplification (EA), virtually magnify task errors in visual feedback, is a potential neurocognitive approach to facilitate motor performance. With regional activities and inter-regional connectivity of electroencephalography (EEG), this study investigated underlying cortical mechanisms associated with improvement of postural balance using EA.

Methods: Eighteen healthy young participants maintained postural stability on a stabilometer, guided by two visual feedbacks (error amplification (EA) vs. Read More

Sensors (Basel) 2021 Dec 24;22(1). Epub 2021 Dec 24.

Department of Neurology & Stroke, University Hospital Tübingen, 72076 Tubingen, Germany.

EEG-based brain-computer interfaces (BCI) have promising therapeutic potential beyond traditional neurofeedback training, such as enabling personalized and optimized virtual reality (VR) neurorehabilitation paradigms where the timing and parameters of the visual experience is synchronized with specific brain states. While BCI algorithms are often designed to focus on whichever portion of a signal is most informative, in these brain-state-synchronized applications, it is of critical importance that the resulting decoder is sensitive to physiological brain activity representative of various mental states, and not to artifacts, such as those arising from naturalistic movements. In this study, we compare the relative classification accuracy with which different motor tasks can be decoded from both extracted brain activity and artifacts contained in the EEG signal. Read More

Wien Klin Wochenschr 2022 Jan 6;134(Suppl 1):49-59. Epub 2022 Jan 6.

Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.

Background: Virtual reality (VR)-based biofeedback is a relatively new intervention and is increasingly being used for the treatment of anxiety disorders. This is the first research synthesis regarding effects and efficacy of this novel mode of treatment.

Method: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the VR biofeedback literature on treating anxiety symptoms. Read More

Atten Percept Psychophys 2022 Feb 28;84(2):576-582. Epub 2021 Dec 28.

Department of Psychology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.

The space surrounding the body in which individuals interact with the environment is known as the peripersonal space (PPS). Previous studies have reported that PPS has multisensory nature. However, the relationship between the multisensory nature of PPS and an individuals' defensive actions has not been fully clarified to date. Read More

Healthcare (Basel) 2021 Dec 14;9(12). Epub 2021 Dec 14.

Department of Physiology, Biochemistry, Microbiology and Laboratory Medicine, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, LT-03101 Vilnius, Lithuania.

Various relaxation techniques could benefit from merging with virtual reality (VR) technologies, as these technologies are easily applicable, involving, and user-friendly. To date, it is unclear which relaxation technique using biofeedback combined with VR technology is the most effective. The study aimed to compare the effectiveness of brief VR-based biofeedback-assisted relaxation techniques including electroencephalographic biofeedback, mindfulness-based biofeedback, galvanic skin response biofeedback, and respiratory biofeedback. Read More

Cureus 2021 Nov 15;13(11):e19604. Epub 2021 Nov 15.

Virtual Reality, Virtual Reality Medical Center, San Diego, USA.

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) seek to enhance the efficacy of treatments for warriors with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) secondary to their combat deployments to Iraq and/or Afghanistan. Read More

Asian Nurs Res (Korean Soc Nurs Sci) 2021 Dec 14;15(5):345-352. Epub 2021 Dec 14.

SYINOTECH, Busan, Republic of Korea.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop a novel mouth contactless breathing exercise solution based on virtual reality (VR), and to test its feasibility.

Methods: We developed the Virtual Reality-based Breathing Exercise System (VR-BRES), a self-regulating biofeedback breathing exercise with gaming characteristics and a soft stretch sensor. The feasibility and efficacy of the VR-BRES prototype were investigated through a randomized crossover trial. Read More

Annu Int Conf IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc 2021 11;2021:6651-6654

The acquisition of neurophysiological data during awake, behaving animal experiments typically involves experimental sessions lasting several days to weeks. Therefore, it is important to understand natural fluctuations in behavioral performance over such periods. Here we quantified patterns of movement variability for reaches performed by two monkeys across five daily experimental sessions. Read More

Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback 2022 03 3;47(1):1-15. Epub 2021 Dec 3.

Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Division of Pediatric Pulmonology, Allergology and Endocrinology, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria.

Over the past decades, virtual reality (VR) has found its way into biofeedback (BF) therapy programs. Using VR promises to overcome challenges encountered in traditional BF such as low treatment motivation, low attentional focus and the difficulty of transferring learnt abilities to everyday life. Yet, a comprehensive research synthesis is still missing. Read More

Sci Rep 2021 11 24;11(1):22844. Epub 2021 Nov 24.

Neuromuscular Diagnostics, Department of Sport and Health Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.

The perception of our body in space is flexible and manipulable. The predictive brain hypothesis explains this malleability as a consequence of the interplay between incoming sensory information and our body expectations. However, given the interaction between perception and action, we might also expect that actions would arise due to prediction errors, especially in conflicting situations. Read More

J Neuroeng Rehabil 2021 Oct 30;18(1):156. Epub 2021 Oct 30.

Rehabilitation Medicine Unit, CHU de Rennes, University Hospital of Rennes, 2, rue Henri Le Guilloux, 35000, Rennes, France.

Background: Illusion of movement induced by tendon vibration is commonly used in rehabilitation and seems valuable for motor rehabilitation after stroke, by playing a role in cerebral plasticity. The aim was to study if congruent visual cues using Virtual Reality (VR) could enhance the illusion of movement induced by tendon vibration of the wrist among participants with stroke.

Methods: We included 20 chronic stroke participants. Read More

Int J Psychophysiol 2021 12 13;170:59-66. Epub 2021 Oct 13.

Catholic University of Eichstaett-Ingolstadt, Faculty of Philosophy and Education, Eichstaett, Germany; Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw, Faculty of Educational Sciences, Warsaw, Poland.

For children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a reduction of inattention by biofeedback has been shown in several studies. As evidenced by previous reports, biofeedback (BFB) with virtual reality (VR) allows for controlling distractors, providing an environment that captures participants' attention. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of hemoencephalographic (HEG) BFB with VR in treating deficits in vigilance (assessed using the short form of the Mackworth Clock Task), visual search (the Visual Search Task), and divided attention (Multitasking Test) among children with ADHD. Read More

Orthop J Sports Med 2021 Sep 29;9(9):23259671211034487. Epub 2021 Sep 29.

Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury reduction training has focused on lower body strengthening and landing stabilization. In vitro studies have shown that quadriceps forces increase ACL strain, and hamstring forces decrease ACL strain. However, the magnitude of the effect of the quadriceps and hamstrings forces on ACL loading and its timing during in vivo landings remains unclear. Read More

Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw 2022 Jan 27;25(1):14-26. Epub 2021 Sep 27.

Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurobiological condition that appears during an individual's childhood and may follow her/him for life. The research objective was to understand better how and which computer technologies have been applied to support ADHD diagnosis and treatment. The research used the systematic literature review method: a rigorous, verifiable, and repeatable approach that follows well-defined steps. Read More

Front Neurorobot 2021 27;15:683653. Epub 2021 Aug 27.

Rehab Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa, Italy.

Enhancing the embodiment of artificial limbs-the individuals' feeling that a virtual or robotic limb is integrated in their own body scheme-is an impactful strategy for improving prosthetic technology acceptance and human-machine interaction. Most studies so far focused on visuo-tactile strategies to empower the embodiment processes. However, novel approaches could emerge from self-regulation techniques able to change the psychophysiological conditions of an individual. Read More

PLoS One 2021 16;16(9):e0249762. Epub 2021 Sep 16.

Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience (CCNS), University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.

Objective: "Visual Restitution Therapies" (VRT) claim to ameliorate visual field defects of neurological patients by repeated visual light stimulation, leading to training-related neuroplasticity and resulting in reconnection of lesioned neurons in early cortical areas. Because existing systems are stationary, uncomfortable, and unreliable, we developed a training instrument based on virtual reality goggles. The goal of the "Salzburg Visual Field Trainer" (SVFT) is twofold: (1) The device facilitates the clinical evaluation of established neuropsychological rehabilitation approaches, such as VRT. Read More

Curr Biol 2021 10 8;31(20):4596-4607.e5. Epub 2021 Sep 8.

Champalimaud Research, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, 1400-038 Lisbon, Portugal. Electronic address:

Locomotion requires a balance between mechanical stability and movement flexibility to achieve behavioral goals despite noisy neuromuscular systems, but rarely is it considered how this balance is orchestrated. We combined virtual reality tools with quantitative analysis of behavior to examine how Drosophila uses self-generated visual information (reafferent visual feedback) to control gaze during exploratory walking. We found that flies execute distinct motor programs coordinated across the body to maximize gaze stability. Read More

Sensors (Basel) 2021 Aug 13;21(16). Epub 2021 Aug 13.

Smart Microsystems Technology Center, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Tainan 709, Taiwan.

Many studies have shown that slow breathing training is beneficial for human health. However, several factors might discourage beginners from continuing their training. For example, a long training period is generally required for benefit realization, and there is no real-time feedback to trainees to adjust their breathing control strategy. Read More

Front Psychiatry 2021 10;12:614539. Epub 2021 Aug 10.

Department of Psychiatry, Depression Center, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.

Although, attempts to apply virtual reality (VR) in mental healthcare are rapidly increasing, it is still unclear whether VR relaxation can reduce stress more than conventional biofeedback. Participants consisted of 83 healthy adult volunteers with high stress, which was defined as a score of 20 or more on the Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10). This study used an open, randomized, crossover design with baseline, stress, and relaxation phases. Read More