Effects of Immersive Virtual Therapy as a Method Supporting Recovery of Depressive Symptoms in Post-Stroke Rehabilitation: Randomized Controlled Trial.

Purpose: Depressive symptoms constitute an important group of mental problems that alter the course of post-stroke rehabilitation by reducing quality of life, physical activity, social functioning, and interpersonal relationships. Although several studies have shown the efficacy of virtual reality (VR) in the motor treatment of poststroke patients, there is a lack of studies that would also evaluate the impact of VR on psychological aspects. Thus, we investigated the effectiveness of immersive VR therapy on both functional activity and depressive symptoms in stroke survivors. Patients and Methods: We conducted a single blind, randomized controlled trial comparing VR therapy with Schultz's Autogenic Training (SAT). Patients randomized to the VR group received treatment in an immersive VR therapeutic garden with elements of psychotherapy and physical activity of the upper extremities, whereas patients in the control group received SAT. Additionally, patients in both groups received standard neurological rehabilitation. The full research cycle lasted six weeks. We used Geriatric Depression Scale, Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale, Acceptance of Illness Scale, Visual Analogue Scale of pain, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Barthel Index, Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale and Rivermead Motor Assessment for outcome assessment. This trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03830372). Results: We assessed 60 patients and randomly assigned to the VR or control group. The VR group showed a significant reduction in depressive symptoms (ηp2 = 0.13, p < 0.01) compared to SAT. The applied VR therapy significantly increased the sense of self-efficacy and the level of acceptance of the illness; however, this effect was similar to that obtained with the standard intervention. We did not observe statistically significant changes in the functional parameters of post-stroke patients. Conclusion: The use of VR therapy combined with neurological rehabilitation had a positive effect on improving mood and reducing depressive symptoms in post-stroke patients.

[The neuroprotective effect of mild therapeutic hypothermia after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest with successful reanimation - a case report]. / Neuroprotekcyjne dzialanie lagodnej hipotermii terapeutycznej po pozaszpitalnym zatrzymaniu krazenia ze skuteczna reanimacja - opis przypadku.

The use of mild therapeutic hypothermia (MTH) in adult patients remaining in a coma following cardiac arrest, regardless of its mechanism and location, is recommended by the European Resuscitation Council. The study presents a case of a 52-year-old man in whom MTH was used following successfully resuscitated out-of- hospital sudden cardiac arrest caused by ventricular fibrillation. On the basis of this case it was indicated that the use of low temperatures may be an effective method of neuroprotective treatment since such activity is compatible with later observed great possibility of the brain to compensate and with the maintenance of brain plasticity which is crucial for neuropsychological rehabilitation.