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Virtual Reality Reveals Mechanisms of Balance and Locomotor Impairments

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Virtual Reality for Physical and Motor Rehabilitation

Abstract

This chapter reviews how VR can be used to investigate normal and disturbed mechanisms of balance and locomotor control. Loss of upright balance control resulting in falls is a major health problem for older adults and stroke survivors. Balance and mobility deficits arise not only from motor or sensory impairments but also from the inability to select and reweight pertinent sensory information. In particular, the role of the vestibular system and effects of age and stroke on the ability of the central nervous system to resolve sensory conflicts is emphasized, as well as the potential for rehabilitation protocols that include training in virtual environments to improve balance.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported in part by NIH-NIA grants AG16359 and AG26470 to E.A. Keshner and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR, RMF-111622) and the Jewish Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation to J. Fung. A. Lamontagne was supported by CIHR (MOP- 77548) and the Canada Foundation for Innovation. A.L. and J.F. are researchers of the Multidisciplinary SensoriMotor Rehabilitation Research Team [http://www.errsm.ca/], an emerging research team in Regenerative Medicine and Nanomedicine funded by the CIHR. N. Bugariu was funded by a Tomlinson postdoctoral research fellowship award at McGill University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, McGill University, 3654 prom Sir-William-Osler, Montréal, QC, Canada, H3G 1Y5

    Anouk Lamontagne & Joyce Fung

  2. Department of Physical Therapy and Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Temple University, 3307 N. Broad ST, Philadelphia, PA, 19140, USA

    Emily A. Keshner

  3. Physical Therapy Program, University of North Texas Health Science Center, 3500 Camp Bowie Blvd., MET 531, Fort Worth, TX, 76107, USA

    Nicoleta Bugnariu

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  1. Anouk Lamontagne
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  2. Emily A. Keshner
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  3. Nicoleta Bugnariu
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  4. Joyce Fung
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Correspondence to Anouk Lamontagne .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept of Occupational Therapy, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Haifa, Israel

    Patrice L. (Tamar) Weiss

  2. Department of Physical Therapy and Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

    Emily A. Keshner

  3. School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada

    Mindy F. Levin

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Lamontagne, A., Keshner, E.A., Bugnariu, N., Fung, J. (2014). Virtual Reality Reveals Mechanisms of Balance and Locomotor Impairments. In: Weiss, P., Keshner, E., Levin, M. (eds) Virtual Reality for Physical and Motor Rehabilitation. Virtual Reality Technologies for Health and Clinical Applications. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0968-1_9

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