Today, I am here to share something latest and new advancement in our
medical field. I am really astonished to discover that recently, scientists of Newcastle
University have created a video game which helps in recovery of stroke
patients.
STROKE
A stroke happens when blood flow to a part of the brain
stops. A stroke is sometimes called a "brain attack." If
blood flow is stopped for longer than a few seconds, the brain cannot get blood
and oxygen. Brain cells can die, causing permanent damage. There are two major
types of stroke: ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke.
Ischemic
stroke occurs when a blood vessel that supplies blood to the brain is blocked
by a blood clot.
A hemorrhagic stroke occurs when a blood vessel in part of
the brain becomes weak and bursts open, causing blood to leak into the brain.
Stroke-related
impairment often restricts patients from properly participating in the
activities of daily living, and impedes social interactions. Motor deficits of the
hands and upper extremities are important determinants, and strongly represent
one’s ability to regain independence in daily and social living. Previous
reports describe that approximately 60–70% of stroke patients exhibit mild to
severe hand dysfunction; and up to 20% of stroke survivors were dependent
in their basic daily living activities.
There are number of researches conducted to analyze and find out the
effective treatment for stroke patients to recover as soon as possible. Some of
them are-
A research conducted by Hsiu-Yun Hsu etal (2012) investigated the hand movement dynamics and to develop effective therapeutic interventions for stroke patients
published in the Journal of
NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation. They used a custom-designed
computerized evaluation and reeducation biofeedback (CERB) prototype to analyze
hand grasp performances, and monitor the training effects on hand coordination
for stroke patients with sensory disturbance and without motor deficiency. The
research concluded that the CERB prototype can provide momentary and interactive
information for quantitative assessing and re-educating force modulation
appropriately for stroke patients with sensory deficits. Furthermore, the
patients could transfer the learned strategy to improve hand function.
Another research conducted by Alma S Merians etal (2011) worked on Robotically facilitated
virtual rehabilitation of arm transport integrated with finger movement in
persons with hemiparesis published in the Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation. They worked
on twelve subjects post-stroke were trained for eight days on four upper
extremity gaming simulations using adaptive robots during 2-3 hour sessions.
Concluded that Complex gaming simulations interfaced with adaptive robots
requiring integrated control of shoulder, elbow, forearm, wrist and finger
movements appear to have a substantial effect on improving hemiparetic hand
function.
But recently the “circus challenge” computer game is
created by the scientists of Newcastle University. These are the first action
video games designed specifically to be played at home and to provide an expert
therapy programme. Using wireless controllers, players try their hand at such
activities as lion taming, juggling, plate spinning, high diving and flying the
trapeze and by working their way through increasingly difficult levels of
Circus Challenge the movements required are designed to gradually build up the
strength and skills of the patient. The games gradually increase in
difficulty and complexity to ensure that the stroke patient is always being
challenged - but most importantly the games are designed to be fun.Janet Eyre, Professor of Paediatric Neuroscience at Newcastle University, who also works within the Newcastle NHS Hospitals Foundation Trust, set up Limbs Alive Ltd to produce the first suite of games in association with a professional game studio. He stated that “With our video game, people get engrossed in the competition and action of the circus characters and forget that the purpose of the game is therapy.” Further he added that “Patients who have played the games find them easy to use, challenging and fun! They can be easily set up and played at home since they are designed by a professional games studio to be played on a laptop or PC. Patients forget they’re doing therapy and just enjoy the challenge of playing.”
Context courtesy: http://www.jneuroengrehab.com/content/9/1/26/abstract
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Images courtesy: everybodysgood.com, cabrr.cua.edu
