The purpose of this clinical study is to evaluate the feasibility, usability, and motivational impact of VirtualPark, a virtual reality-based dual-task rehabilitation system, in adults with neurological and age-related conditions.
VirtualPark is a virtual reality application designed to deliver cognitive exercises during cycling training using a commercially available ergometer (THERA-Trainer Tigo). The system integrates physical and cognitive tasks in simulated real-life environments.
The intervention integrates motor and cognitive training tasks targeting domains such as attention, inhibition, working memory, and navigation.
This is a prospective, multicenter, randomized, cross-over pilot study. It will compare cycling training performed with and without virtual reality. Participants will complete both intervention conditions over a 4-week period separated by a wash-out phase with standard rehabilitation activities. The order of conditions will be randomized.
The study will assess motivation during rehabilitation training, usability and user experience of the system, as well as exploratory effects on cognitive and motor performance, functional abilities, perceived exertion, and safety.
The study will enroll adult participants (≥18 years) with conditions such as stroke, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, mild cognitive impairment, spinal cord injury, and frail older adults.
Informed consent to the study
subjects > 18 years and <85 years
diagnosis of MCI according to the criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders VTh Edition (DSM V TR American Psychological Association 2013)
detection of ischemic stroke within 6 months preceding the study, frail elderly subjects (Gobbens RJ et al. 2010)
Other concomitant neurological pathologies in addition to the one under study
presence of visual disturbances that do not allow access to the experimental virtual reality protocol
presence of impaired cardiorespiratory function or other organic instabilities that contraindicate ergometer training
severe osteoporosis
Crossover
Dual-task training with Virtual Reality
DeviceParticipants perform cycling training using a commercially available ergometer combined with a non-immersive virtual reality system. Virtual Reality offers cognitive exercises targeting attention, inhibition, working memory, and navigation during cycling.
Cycling training
DeviceParticipants perform standard cycling training without virtual reality-based tasks
Intrinsic Motivation
It is evaluated with the Interest/Enjoyment subscale of the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI). It is a part of a questionnaire, composed of 7 items to be answered on a 7-point Likert scale. For each statement, participants must provide a level of agreement on a scale of 1 to 7, where 1 equals "strongly disagree" and 7 equals "strongly agree." . Total scores range from 7 to 49, with higher scores indicating greater intrinsic motivation and enjoyment during rehabilitation training.
Motivation
the patient's motivational spectrum is assessed using the Situational Motivation Scale (SIMS), a self-report questionnaire. It consists of 16 items rated on a 7-point Likert scale and investigates four factors: intrinsic motivation, identified regulation, external regulation, and amotivation. For each statement, participants must provide a level of agreement on a scale of 1 to 7, where 1 equals "strongly disagree" and 7 equals "strongly agree." . Total scores range from 4 to 28 on each subscale, with higher scores indicating greater presence of that type of motivation towards rehabilitation activity.
Usability
evaluated with the System Usability Scale (SUS); it is a post-study questionnaire consisting of 10 questions answered on a 5-point Likert scale. For each statement, participants must provide a level of agreement on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 equals "strongly disagree" and 5 equals "strongly agree." The SUS results in a score ranging from 0 to 100, allowing not only an assessment of a system's usability but also its comparison with other systems. Higher scores indicate higher perceived usability of the system. For each statement, participants must provide a level of agreement on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 equals "strongly disagree" and 5 equals "strongly agree."
user experience in relation to the adoption of the proposed technology
assessed with the Technology-Assisted Rehabilitation Patient Perception Questionnaire (TARPP-Q). The instrument consists of 29 items and explores the following factors: perceived usability, positive emotions, feelings of obstacle/difficulty, and feelings of stress. The items are to be answered on a 4-point Likert scale, where 1 corresponds to "not at all" and 4 to "very much". Higher scores indicate a more positive user experience.
Cognitive Function
Trail Making Test A-B is designed to assess selective, sustained, and divided attention, as well as any deficits in visual-motor coordination. In Trail Making Test A, the subject must match all 25 numbers on the sheet of paper in ascending order as quickly as possible. If the subject is able to complete the first part of the test, Trail Making Test B can be administered. It is administered in the same way, but the subject must match numbers and letters alternating between them as quickly as possible. This test allows for an assessment of psychomotor speed, visuospatial search ability, selective memory, and selective attention. Results include completion time in seconds. Lower completion times indicate better cognitive performance.
Cognitive Function
The Short Stroop Test is one of the most commonly used tests to assess prefrontal functions such as cognitive flexibility and the control and inhibition of automatic responses. It is a timed test divided into three parts: in the first part, the subject must name the color of the squares presented to them; in the second part, they must simply read the words written on the board (color names); and in the third part, they are asked to name the color of the ink the words are written in (the board presents a series of color names, each printed in a different color than the one indicated by the name). The third part is reported by subjects as the most difficult. The Stroop effect emphasizes the interference that automatic word processing generates on the color-naming task, which is more demanding in terms of mental effort. Outcome include execution time and number of errors. Lower scores indicate better performance.
Motor Function
Workload on the cycle ergometer
Motor Funcion
Cycling assistance level
Motor function
Cycling distance traveled during cycling training, measured in meters using ergometer-derived data
Functional abilities
The Modified Barthel Index (MBI) is a clinical tool used to assess independence in activities of daily living (ADLs) in patients with physical disabilities. The MBI evaluates ten specific functions: Feeding, Bathing, Grooming, Dressing, Bowel control, Bladder control, Toileting, Transfers (e.g., bed to chair), Mobility (e.g., walking or wheelchair use), Stair climbing. Each item is scored on a 5-level ordinal scale. Interpretation: 0-20, Total dependency; 21-60, Severe dependency; 61-90, Moderate dependency; 91-99, Slight dependency; 100, Independence
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Marta Mondellini
Lead sponsor
Istituto di Sistemi e Tecnologie Industriali Intelligenti per il Manifatturiero Avanzato
Sponsor institution
Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri SpA
Collaborator
Villa Beretta Rehabilitation Center
Collaborator
University of Pisa
Collaborator
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