Conventional Mirror Therapy versus Immersive Virtual Reality Mirror Therapy: The Perceived Usability after Stroke.

Background: Stroke is a widespread and complex health issue, with many survivors requiring long-term rehabilitation due to upper-limb impairment. This study is aimed at comparing the perceived usability of two feedback-based stroke therapies: conventional mirror therapy (MT) and immersive virtual reality mirror therapy (VR). Methods: The study involved 45 participants, divided into three groups: the stroke survivors (n = 15), stroke-free older adults (n = 15), and young controls (n = 15). Participants performed two tasks using both MT and VR in a semirandom sequence. Usability instruments (SUS and NASA-TLX) were applied at the end of the activities, along with two experience-related questions. Results: The results indicated that both MT and VR had similar levels of perceived usability, with MT being more adaptable and causing less overall discomfort. Conversely, VR increased the perception of task difficulty and prevented participants from diverting their attention from the mirror-based feedback. Conclusion: While VR was found to be less comfortable than MT, both systems exhibited similar perceived usability. The comfort levels of the goggles may play a crucial role in determining the usability of VR for upper limb rehabilitation after stroke.

The concurrent validity of the Stroke Self-Efficacy Questionnaire Brazil (SSEQ-B) in brazilian stroke survivors / Validade concorrente do Stroke Self-Efficacy Questionnaire Brazil (SSEQ-B) em brasileiros acometidos pelo acidente vascular cerebral

The Stroke Self-Efficacy Questionnaire Brazil (SSEQ-B) is designed to assess the self-efficacy of functional performance after stroke. Objective: To evaluate the concurrent validity of the SSEQ-B in Brazilian stroke survivors in relation to gold-standard measures of instrumental and basic daily living activities as well as quality of life after stroke. Methods: The concurrent validity of the SSEQ-B was tested using the Frenchay Activity Index (FAI), Barthel Index (BI) and Stroke Specific Quality of Life Scale (SS-QOL). Descriptive statistics, the Spearman's coefficient index, Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), Cronbach alpha and achieved post-hoc power (1-ß) analyses were conducted. Results: Seventy-five stroke survivors aged 66.64 ± 12.97 years were included in this study. Total scores from the SSEQ-B were strongly correlated with the FAI (ICC= 0.8 / r= 0.72 / 1-ß= 1.0) and BI (ICC= 0.68 / r= 0.68 / 1-ß= 0.99), but weakly correlated with SS-QOL (ICC= 0.46 / r= 0.65 / 1-ß= 0.94), which suggests stroke self-efficacy is more closely associated with instrumental and daily living activities than the quality of life. Conclusion: The SSEQ-B exhibits good concurrent validity with instrumental and daily living activities and could be useful when assessing stroke self-efficacy in Brazilians.

O Stroke Self-Efficacy Questionnaire Brazil (SSEQ-B) foi desenvolvido para avaliar a autoeficácia no desempenho funcional depois do Acidente Vascular Cerebral (AVC). Objetivo: avaliar a validação concorrente do SSEQ-B em sobreviventes brasileiros de AVC em relação a avaliações padrão áureo de atividades de vida diárias e instrumentais assim como a qualidade de vida pós-AVC. Métodos: A validação concorrente do SSEQ-B foi avaliada utilizando o Índice de Atividade Frenchay (FAI), o Índice de Barthel (BI) e a Qualidade de Vida pós-AVC (SS-QOL). As análises de estatística descritiva, índice de coeficiente Spearman's, coeficiente de correlação intraclasse (ICC), alpha de Cronbach e potência post-hoc alcançada foram conduzidas. Resultados: Setenta e cinco sobreviventes de AVC com idade de 66.64 ± 12.97 anos foram incluídos neste estudo. A pontuação total do SSEQ-B foi correlacionada significativamente com o FAI (ICC= 0.8 / r= 0.72 / 1-ß= 1.0), BI (ICC= 0.68 / r= 0.68 / 1-ß= 0.99) e SS-QOL (ICC= 0.46 / r= 0.65 / 1-ß= 0.94), o que sugere que a autoeficácia de sobreviventes de AVC está associada com as atividades de vida diárias e instrumentais. Porém, há fraca correlação com a qualidade de vida desta amostra. Conclusão: O SSEQ-B exibe uma boa validação concorrente com as atividades de vida diárias e instrumentais e parece ser útil na avalição da autoeficácia em sobreviventes de AVC residentes no Brasil.

Influence of Different Dual-Task Conditions During Straight or Curved Walking on Gait Performance of Physically Active Older Women With Cognitive Decline.

Real-world walking requires shifting attention from different cognitive demands to adapt gait. This study aims to evaluate the effect of dual tasking on spatiotemporal gait parameters of older adults. Participants were asked to perform a primary complex single-walking task, consisting of a fast-paced linear and a curved gait. Primary task was performed separately and simultaneously with different motor and cognitive secondary tasks. Spatiotemporal gait parameters, walk ratio, and walk stability ratio were measured. Apart from stride length, which stood relatively unchanged, gait speed and cadence were strongly affected by cognitive dual tasking. Cadence seems to be the most impacted by dual tasking during curved gait as it combines challenges of both primary and secondary tasks. Also, during curved phase, walking ratio was significantly lower and stability ratio was greater demonstrating that participants adopted a cautious gait where maintenance of stability took preference over efficiency.