(Press-News.org) An augmented-reality headset is an effective digital tool for improving posture and gait in people with Parkinson’s disease, according to a recent Cleveland Clinic trial. Findings were published in Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair.
Augmented reality, or AR, allows users to complete digital programs projected into the world around them. The “Dual-task augmented Reality Treatment” (DART) uses the Microsoft HoloLens2 to run patients through dual-task training (DTT), a series of tasks designed to engage the brain and body simultaneously.
Activities are designed to counter Parkinson’s disease’s effect on the parts of the brain that control mental and physical tasks. Think about walking while listening to an audiobook or talking while shopping at the grocery store.
DTT helps address the lack of balance and stability that can lead to falls or difficulty moving, says Jay Alberts, PhD, Center for Neurological Restoration, and the study’s first author. This therapy, although effective, isn’t widely used because of the time and resources it takes to measure patient progress and personalize a program, among other limitations.
Instead of a human therapist, the DART program uses a digital avatar named Donna, named after Dr. Alberts’s mother. The user puts on the AR headset and sees Donna in their line of sight. The user then hears instructions through the headset, which tracks their movements and responses. Donna guides the exercises and demonstrates movements. The headset collects data for clinicians to review and use to design future sessions.
“A digital platform that completes some of these tasks, down to collecting tiny alterations to someone’s stride, can help us standardize and implement DTT,” Dr. Alberts says. “The trial shows that using an AR headset or physical therapist directed DTT produces similar improvements in gait and postural stability.”
Training can improve posture and stability and prevent falls or “freezing.” Some examples of DTT activities include:
Stepping forward when you hear an even number, stepping back on an odd number
Waving when a light is green, crouching when it’s red
Remembering a series of numbers while walking forward or navigating a digital obstacle course
DART can create more than 230 combinations of DTT activities. The clinical trial of just under 50 people compared results from participants in sessions led by an in-person therapist and those using the DART platform. Both groups showed comparable, clinically significant improvement after the therapy. Retention was also high for both groups, addressing another potential concern with implementing the therapy.
DART is not meant to take the place of a physical therapist, but to serve as technology to enable more widespread use of DTT, Dr. Alberts says.
"People diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease often balance physical therapy, new medications and specialist appointments with their lives and families, which is overwhelming,” he says. “Our goal is to make DTT more accessible, removing one more obstacle for patients who want to improve their daily lives.”
Using augmented reality to make Parkinson's disease physical therapy more accessible
Digital solution engaging the brain and body could improve therapy for people with Parkinson’s disease
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
State grant allows for UC’s continued research on firefighter protective gear
A team of UC researchers across three colleges has been awarded an additional $1.5 million state grant to continue research on improving firefighter protective gear. In 2022, the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) awarded a UC team an initial $1.2 million to provide proof of concept on the development of a firefighter jacket liner that brings a firefighter’s body temperature down through advanced cooling technology and protects the body from other external hazards. That grant, and the new $1.5 million grant to carry the proof of concept to commercialization, ...
Pediatric ED visits, hospitalizations for self-harm up during pandemic, especially in adolescent females; "Less is better" is the best message when talking to patients about alcohol
CMAJ headlines: Pediatric ED visits and hospitalizations for self-harm, suicidal thoughts increased in Canada during pandemic, especially in young adolescent females "Less is better" is the best message when talking to patients about alcohol Pediatric ED visits and hospitalizations for self-harm, suicidal thoughts increased in Canada during pandemic, especially in young adolescent females The COVID-19 pandemic had an outsized impact on the mental health of adolescents, especially young adolescent females, with a higher-than-expected number of emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations for self-harm and suicidal ideation, according to two new research ...
Study explores how healthcare workers share appreciation, promote positive workplace culture
Healthcare organizations, in reviewing care delivery opportunities and providing feedback to staff, often focus on what went wrong, but a new study suggests that reversing this perspective may help organizations improve their work culture by understanding what went right. A team of Mass General Brigham researchers analyzed peer-to-peer positive feedback, systematically collected when caring for a dying patient as part of a mandatory mortality review process. They found that standardized collection and sharing of positive feedback — what went right — is a feasible way to increase mutual ...
Researchers create “lipidomic map,” offering insights into immunology
An international team of scientists has developed a method for simultaneously detecting thousands of lipid molecules that are displayed to T cells in the human immune system. The study, co-led by D. Branch Moody, MD, of the Division of Rheumatology, Immunity and Inflammation at Brigham and Women's Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, represents a collaboration among researchers from Oxford, United Kingdom, Melbourne, Australia and Groningen, Netherlands. Results are published in Cell. The team developed a new and sensitive method to detect more than 2,000 lipids bound to CD1 ...
UTHealth Houston study: Artificial intelligence software improves endovascular thrombectomy treatment times for stroke patients
The implementation of artificial intelligence-powered large vessel occlusion (LVO) detection software for acute stroke triage can improve endovascular thrombectomy treatment times, according to new research from UTHealth Houston. The study, which was published today in JAMA Neurology, was led by co-first authors Youngran Kim, PhD, assistant professor of management, policy, and community health with UTHealth Houston School of Public Health; and Juan Carlos Martinez-Gutierrez, MD, a former surgery fellow in the Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery with McGovern Medical School at UTHealth ...
Economic burden of US youth violence injuries
About The Study: This economic evaluation’s findings indicate that the economic burden of youth violence, including medical care, lost productivity, reduced quality of life from injury morbidity, and avoidable mortality, reached $122 billion in 2020, dominated by male firearm homicides. Prevention strategies can reduce this substantial burden. Authors: Cora Peterson, Ph.D., of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, is the corresponding author. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2023.3235) Editor’s ...
Screen time and developmental performance among children at 1-3 years of age
About The Study: Increased TV/DVD screen time from age 1 year negatively affected later development in this study of 57,980 children. To reduce the negative consequences of excessive media use, researchers and health care professionals should encourage family media management and recommend social support for parents who tend to rely on the media. Authors: Midori Yamamoto, Ph.D., of Chiba University in Chiba, Japan, is the corresponding author. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2023.3643) Editor’s ...
School-based health centers, access to care, and income-based disparities
About The Study: In this study using nationally representative survey data with difference-in-differences analysis of school-based health center (SBHC) adoption, SBHCs were associated with access to care and reduced income-based disparities. These findings support additional SBHC expansion. Authors: Michel Boudreaux, Ph.D., of the University of Maryland in College Park, is the corresponding author. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.34532) Editor’s ...
Buprenorphine dose and time to discontinuation among patients with opioid use disorder in the era of fentanyl
About The Study: The results of this study of 6,499 patients initiating buprenorphine treatment between 2016 and 2020 suggest that the value of higher buprenorphine doses than currently recommended needs to be considered for improving retention in treatment. Authors: Laura C. Chambers, Ph.D., M.P.H., of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, is the corresponding author. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.34540) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, ...
Telecare cuts costs, boosts quality of life for dementia patients
A UCSF telecare program that improves outcomes for patients with dementia and lightens the load for unpaid caregivers also has the surprising bonus of cutting Medicare costs, according to UC San Francisco research. In the study, publishing in JAMA Internal Medicine on Sept. 18, 2023, researchers, led by UCSF, compared the Medicare costs of 780 patients with dementia. The patients were randomized 2:1 to receive Care Ecosystem support – which included medical and practical assistance – or their usual care for a 12-month period. Both groups were similar in age, severity of dementia ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Study finds senescent immune cells promote lung tumor growth
Study examines benefits and obstacles of library data storytelling
Cost of living crisis set to cut UK lives short and significantly widen wealth-health gap
Flawed body of research indicates true ‘long COVID’ risk likely exaggerated
Wealthier kids in UK may have experienced steepest fall in mental health during pandemic
Stem cell therapy can safely slow progression of relapsing-remitting MS
NASA’s Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe passes system integration review
National Science Foundation taps Worcester Polytechnic Institute fire protection expertise and resources for the Wildfire Interdisciplinary Research Center
Doctor and pharmacist revamp standard processes for ordering and documenting mifepristone use
Screening for adverse childhood experience can improve trauma-informed care, though time constraints and limited referral resources present challenges
Understanding parents’ care expectations for a child with gastroenteritis could prevent after-hours care requests
Learning collaborative promotes mifepristone education and utilization training in federally qualified health centers
Men who trust their doctors, receive adequate time and general information about prostate cancer screening are more likely to have productive discussions
Study identifies patient and clinician-level characteristics associated with sexual history screening administration
Researchers identify important strategies for diabetes care and quality improvements in the primary care setting
Attentiveness to resting leg cramps may afford greater insight into advancing age and declining health
Staffing challenges and general time constraints may harm primary care teams’ ability to implement quality improvement efforts
Primary care investigators, clinicians, patients and community members reflect on NAPCRG’s 50 years of leadership and service
September/October Annals of Family Medicine 2023 tip sheet
Combination radiation with immunotherapy shows promise against “cold” breast cancer tumors
A new AI model has been developed to improve accuracy of breast cancer tumor removal
Finding the balance: Opioids and pain control after surgery
UC Irvine scientists reveal what fuels wildfires in Sierra Nevada Mountains
US Department of Energy Office of Science awards $115M for High Rigidity Spectrometer project at FRIB
Algorithm would predict disease relapses
Exercise-mimicking drug sheds weight, boosts muscle activity in mice
Did life exist on Mars? Other planets? With AI's help, we may know soon
Wind energy projects in North America are more likely to be opposed by white, wealthy communities
Naming and shaming can be effective to get countries to act on climate
Scientists develop method of identifying life on other worlds[Press-News.org] Using augmented reality to make Parkinson's disease physical therapy more accessible
Digital solution engaging the brain and body could improve therapy for people with Parkinson’s disease