Effects of upper limb exergames on functional recovery in stroke patients with mild cognitive impairment / 中国康复理论与实践

ABSTRACT

ObjectiveTo explore the effects of upper limb exergames on cognitive function, upper limb motor function and activities of daily living in stroke patients with mild cognitive impairment. MethodsFrom August, 2020 to November, 2021, 50 troke patients with mild cognitive impairment in Beijing Bo'ai Hospital were randomly allocated to control group (n = 25) and experimental group (n = 25). Both groups received traditional occupational therapy. Additional functional occupational therapy was provided to the control group, and upper limb exergames were provided to the experimental group, for four weeks. They were assessed with Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Fugl-Meyer Assessment-Upper Extremities (FMA-UE) and modified Barthel Index (MBI) before and after the treatment. ResultsAfter treatment, the scores of MoCA, FMA-UE and MBI improved in both groups (|t| > 3.354, |Z| > 4.379, P < 0.01), and the scores increased in five MoCA cognitive domains in the control group (except map naming and abstract thinking) (|Z| > 2.000, P < 0.05) and in six MoCA cognitive domains in the experimental group (except map naming) (|Z| > 2.646, P < 0.01). After treatment, the scores of MoCA, MoCA five cognitive domains (except map naming and abstract thinking) and FMA-UE were better in the experiment group than in the control group(|Z| > 1.982, t = 3.565, P < 0.05). ConclusionUpper limb exergames can facilitate the recovery of cognitive function, upper limb motor function and activities of daily living in stroke patients with mild cognitive impairment.