Oct 1 2009
2009 Fall Guest Editorial

Journal of CyberTherapy & Rehabilitation

Fall 2009, Volume 2, Issue 3

 

GUEST EDITORIAL

In this special issue of the Journal of CyberTherapy and Reha- bilitation, you will find several papers that were  selected from the more than one hundred submissions received by the Scien- tific Committee for the International Symposium on Neurore- habilitation.

Seeing the need to strengthen the collaboration between tech- nical and health related disciplines, the International Sympo- sium on Neurorehabilitation: from Basics to Future was held in Valencia, Spain on October 15-16, 2009. The main purpose of the Symposium was to bring together engineers, researchers and health care professionals to share ideas and experiences with the aim of creating a “common language” that will help to increase the efficacy of the neurorehabilitation process and to improve the quality of life of patients. World-renowned re- searchers in cognitive and motor rehabilitation, virtual reality, telerehabilitation, brain-machine interfaces, patient assessment, behavioral science, neuroplasticity, neuroimaging, neurophar- macology and rehabilitation robotics updated participants on the current state of their respective research areas during the Symposium. Similarly, more than 350 delegates from around the world participated in this event and provided examples of their current work.

In the coming years, the incidence of diseases and afflictions with a neurological origin will increase to–what some have ven- tured to call–epidemic proportions. Among the main reasons be- hind this “coming epidemic” is the shift that the world’s population will experience, according to several forecasts, to- wards an increasingly older population as a result of improve- ments in medicine and standards of living. According to the United Nations, more than 20 percent of the world’s population will be over 60 years old by the year 2050, more than doubling the current size of this population segment. This shift towards an older population will not be limited to the developed world; most of the developing world will experience a similar popula- tion shift in the coming decades. Unfortunately, an aging popu- lation increases exponentially the risk of suffering from afflictions affecting the central nervous system, which could lead to a lower quality of life for these individuals, or even death. Among these afflictions one can find multiple sclerosis, Parkin- son’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, among many others. Recent advances in neurorehabilitation, the specialized and interdisciplinary treatment of individuals suffering from neu- rological afflictions, can prove to be extremely important to ameliorate the suffering experienced by these individuals and to help them to return to a normal life. At the same time, we are seeing the increasing importance of technology in our everyday lives. As a result, technology is also playing an im- portant role in the improvement of neurorehabilitation, and we feel that its importance will only increase over time. Ap- plying technology to the neurorehabilitation process can not only assist us in obtaining more precise diagnostics and in improving the flow of information between health care pro- fessionals but it can also help us to develop more effective and efficient rehabilitation-specific clinical pathways. Simi- larly, the increasing bandwidth capacity of our telecommuni- cation networks could bring hope to individuals that do not have access to rehabilitation facilities by making possible the implementation of telerehabilitation-based treatments. Fur- thermore, the increasing importance of assistive technology and orthetics also shows how technology can have a great im- pact on the quality of life of our patients long after the reha- bilitation process has finalized.

In this symposium, several sessions have been centered in virtual rehabilitation and related fields. Virtual Rehabilita- tion is a recent scientific and technological area that inves- tigates the use of interactive graphics technologies and telecommunications to provide rehabilitation and clinical services in a more effective and efficient way. It is a multi- disciplinary field that combines technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality, bioelectronics, medical imaging, ambient intelligence, natural man-machine interfaces, all aimed at achieving better therapies for patients and more sustainable services health.

At this moment, we are experiencing the emergence of an infor- mation society increasingly based on the production and ex- change of information. New information and computer technologies (ICT’s) are having an impact in the field of rehabil- itation of motor and cognitive functions. Over the past twenty years this progress in technology has provided clinicians with new opportunities for evaluation and treatment of cognitive dis- orders, which were not available with traditional methods. Sev- eral tools have been created in order to evaluate and train the cognitive impairment that is associated with acquired or devel- opmental cerebral damage including memory, spatial knowledge representation and planning abilities and executive function.

With virtual rehabilitation we are developing engaging virtual worlds in which patients interact while rehabilitating, envi- ronments that are capable of recognizing the patient and pro- vide the necessary services even at home, miniaturized and low-cost tracking and monitoring systems used to enable pa- tients to continue rehabilitation at home thus saving costs to health services and improving both the quality of care, intel- ligent TV screens that recognize the patient’s movements and through virtual agents are leading him in the exercises, or robotic systems that assist the patient in their exercises in both the clinic and at home. In coming years, we will attend to a revolution in this field through the combined efforts of clini- cians and technology, which we intend to make closer ties in scientific events like the International Symposium on Neu- rorehabilitation. We hope that you enjoy these papers and that you will join us in the next edition of the International Sym- posium on Neurorehabilitation to be held in 2011.

 

 

Mariano Alcañiz, Ph.D.,
Director Institute LabHuman
and Javier Chirivella, Ph.D.,
Director Servicio Daño Cerebral/NISA

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Sep 18 2009
“Medical Marker” Inaugural Class Introduced

Another highlight of the EDC’s Schwartz Awards Luncheon was unveiling of bioOrlando’s new “Medical Marker” program, which is designed to build awareness of the growing presence of biotech and life science companies in our region.

Ray Gilley, EDC President & CEO, described the program as a way to recognize the growing number of leaders in scientific research and medical technology, as well as companies who have contributed substantially to the evolution of such technologies in Central Florida. “On an ongoing basis, Medical Markers will be presented to life science and biotech organizations throughout the four county region,” explained Gilley.

A design for the marker, the work of talented local artist Dralene “Red” Hughes, was unveiled. Hughes submitted her concept as part of a design competition promoted by United Arts. The artist explains her design concept (above) as follows: “An abstract figure formed from checks and balances reaches for a goal, represented by the bright star. The figure is stepping forward and up, with the upper extension pointing to the Orlando area on a Florida map.”

Florida Senator Lee Constantine, a tireless community advocate who introduced the bill that put the UCF College of Medicine into Statute, then introduced the inaugural class of Medical Marker recipients. As Constantine explained, this founding group represents the pioneers of our region’s medical and life science industry. “These are the organizations and industries that blazed the trail and ensured that Metro Orlando would be well-positioned as a true contender for the life science industry,” he said.

bioOrlando’s inaugural class of Medical Marker recipients includes:

  • Florida Hospital, est. 1908
  • Orlando Health, est. 1918
  • Florida’s Blood Centers, est. 1942
  • South Lake Hospital, est. 1947; home to National Training Center
  • Health Central, est. 1952
  • Tavistock Group / Lake Nona
  • VaxDesign
  • CuraScript
  • .decimal
  • CORD:USE
  • Emergency Medicine Learning & Resource Center
  • Virtual Reality Medical Center

SCHWARTZ0949.jpg

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Jun 1 2009
2009 Summer Editorial

Journal of CyberTherapy & Rehabilitation

Summer 2009, Volume 2, Issue 2

 

EDITORIAL

Welcome to the Summer 2009 issue of the Journal of CyberTher- apy & Rehabilitation (JCR). We are pleased to bring the fifth issue of our publication to readers, critics and researchers around the world. Our peer-reviewed academic journal explores the uses of advanced technologies for therapy, training, education, pre- vention and rehabilitation. JCR is a quarterly-published aca- demic journal, unique in the fact that it focuses on the rapidly expanding worldwide trend of applying ground-breaking tech- nology towards the field of healthcare. Psychiatry, psychology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, neurorehabilitation, oncol- ogy, obesity, eating disorders and autism continue to be main areas of interest studied by JCR.

Since our inaugural issue, JCR has received attention from peers, international institutions and international conferences. A common thirst for new knowledge and application of cutting-edge technolo- gies to better the lives of others drives this diverse group of people towards a similar goal. Advanced technologies, such as robotics, adaptive displays, E-health, virtual reality (VR) and non-invasive physiological monitoring are now applied to many diverse fields of healthcare. As this body of research is added to, patients, doctors and therapists can look towards a hopeful future and new ways to treat mental and physical disorders. The content of this issue of JCR reflects our diversity, featuring such topics as VR immersions, the effects of video game playing and online forums to treat suf- ferers of disease.

In the first article Wang and Reid explore the application of a virtual reality-cognitive rehabilitation (VR-CR) approach in treating autism in children. In this study, virtual reality (VR) was used as an interactive, cognitive-focused treatment which allowed for greater flexibility than traditional methods for treating autism.

Next, Murray presents research based on the treatment of phan- tom limb pain in amputees using VR. Studies using research stemming from traditional “mirror-box” methods were con- ducted and Murray looks closely at three VR systems that were implemented in the treatment of phantom limb pain.

In the third article, Aime, Cotton and Bouchard take a close look at women suffering from eating disorders and implement VR as an experimental new form of treatment for these patients. VR im- mersions were conducted to assess whether or not treatment was successful in helping women suffering from eating disorders as well as overall concern over their weight and shape.

Bouchard, St-Jacques, Renaud and Wiederhold, in the fourth manuscript, address the side effects of immersions in VR for people suffering from anxiety disorders. In this study, researchers used a sample group of patients suffering from anxieties of various types and measured reports of side effects before and after VR immer- sions to determine whether or not patients and therapists should be concerned about the lasting complications of side effects.
In the fifth paper, King and Delfabbro present findings on re- search detailing motivational differences in video game play. Factors that were considered include motivation to play video games, intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, and total time spent playing. These findings can be used to help video game players determine if their playing behavior points to a problematic level of involvement.

In another article addressing video game playing, Wang and Yang explore the relationships between thrill seeking, perceived risk and aggressive tendencies and how these factors relate to the acceptance of playing violent video games. Behavioral in- tention was also closely studied as well as differences in male and female gaming styles.

Lastly, Fullwood and Wootton examine the possibilities of com- puter-mediated communication (CMC) to help patients deal with emotionally-sensitive issues. To do so, an online support forum produced by the National Society of Epilepsy was used. Key fac- tors, such as anonymity and willingness for disclosure, were studied and used to determine whether CMC meets criteria for offering support to sufferers.

Future issues of JCR will continue to explore the ways in which healthcare, in Europe and worldwide, can benefit from innova- tive applications of technology. I would like to sincerely thank the contributing authors for their inspiring work and dedication to this field of research. I also want to thank JCR’s Associate Ed- itors – Professor Botella, Professor Bouchard, Professor Gam- berini and Professor Riva for their leadership and hard work, as well as our internationally renowned Editorial Board for their contributions. We encourage readers and subscribers to contact us with ideas and manuscripts. Thank you again for your support of JCR. We look forward to providing you with more ways in which technology is contributing to increased quality of life in citizens of the world.

 

 

Brenda K. Wiederhold, Ph.D., MBA, BCIA

Editor-in-Chief, Journal of CyberTherapy & Rehabilitation

Virtual Reality Medical Institute

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