Gamification of post-ictus rehabilitation with BCI

Abstract

Stroke is the leading cause of adult disability and the second most common cause of death in the European Union. Depending on the affected brain areas of the stroke, patients suffer from different sequels and consequences. Common sequels include motor impairments (hemiplegia, dysphagia, spasticity...), cognitive impairments (aphasia, dementia)... or mental health issues. About 75 to 80% of first strokes are followed by hemiplegia, a motor impairment consisting of total or partial paralysis of half of the body (opposite to where the stroke was). Hemiplegia can affect the independence of the survivor, for it can interfere with the realization of his or her activities of daily life (ADLs). To treat these impairments and for the patient to regain independence and skills, motor rehabilitation is in order. There are multiple techniques for motor rehabilitation, but overall, the process can be boring, as sessions are long and tedious, and the exercises are repetitive, making the patient lose motivation and attention. In order to increase that, and make the rehabilitation process more enjoyable, there have been many efforts to introduce external elements to rehabilitation to the process. In this case, video game elements are introduced to the rehabilitation scene. This study aims to address the differences found during rehabilitation when using or not using the gamification approach. A gamification strategy on a BCI-rehabilitation system previously developed by the company g.tec was proposed, implementing the developed narrative of a drum outdoors concert. This narrative is aimed at the rehabilitation of the lower extremities. Taking into consideration the reduced number of subjects and sessions, the results of the study show that the gamification approach does not affect or intercept the rehabilitation system, that subjects were less bored using the gamified proposal, and that they enjoyed the visual aspects and narrative. Nevertheless, no relation could be found between the user’s personality and game preference.