A HOPE FOR STROKE REHABILITATION : EXPLORING THE REHATT MIXED REALITY APPLICATION

Sammanfattning: Unilateral spatial neglect (USN) is a common disorder after stroke. An application especially developed for stroke rehabilitation, the RehAtt Mixed Reality (MR) intends to train cognitive and motor functions that are affected by USN, by the means of interactive 3D games played in mixed reality, through smart glasses. The present study targets one specific cognitive function, namely spatial attention, and compares individual performances in one of the games (scenarios) to performances in a widely used test for detection of deficits in spatial attention – the Posner test. The hypothesis is that user reaction times in the RehAtt MR scenario correlates with user reaction times in the Posner test. Another test, including a questionnaire, to validate the usability of the RehAtt MR is also conducted. The sample for the usability test and questionnaire includes a total of 74 participants (47 women, 27 men, M = 39.6 years of age), of which 29 individuals (13 women, 16 men, M = 35 years of age) carried out the experimental part of the study. The results suggest that there is a significant correlation, r(27) = .411, p = .027, between reaction times in the Posner test and the scenario in the RehAtt MR, and that the product usability shows high quality. It is concluded that the results support that the scenario explored in the RehAtt MR trains spatial attention, although further research is needed for full validation.