With advances in technology, virtual reality (VR) is increasingly used in various fields, including rehabilitation, motor learning, and neuroscience. Its ability to provide controlled, immersive, and interactive environments makes it a valuable tool for training and assessment. However, despite its growing adoption, limited evidence exists on how cortical activation in VR compares to real-world conditions. Moreover, brain cortical activity during motor tasks, such as manual dexterity tasks, remains underexplored. This study aims to compare brain cortical activity in real and immersive virtual reality settings during a manual dexterity task. Secondary objectives include: * Examining the relationship between brain cortical activity and kinematics in both conditions. * Comparing brain cortical activity between hand-tracking and controller-based interactions.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
12
Participants will perform a manual dexterity task involving the displacement of physical cubes
Participants will perform a manual dexterity task in an immersive virtual reality environment, requiring them to move virtual cubes using controllers
Participants will perform a manual dexterity task in an immersive virtual reality environment, requiring them to move virtual cubes using the hand-tracking technology
Neuro Musculo Skeletal Lab
Brussels, Brussels Capital, Belgium
Brain cortical activity
Measures of brain cortical activity using EEG/fNIRS
Time frame: Baseline (at rest: before task performance) and Day 1 (during each of the three task performances within the single study session)
Average speed
Mean instant velocity of the upper extremity during task performance
Time frame: Day 1 (during each of the three task performances within the single study session)
Maximal movement speed
Peak instant velocity of the upper extremity during task performance
Time frame: Day 1 (during each of the three task performances within the single study session)
Movement smoothness
Spectral arc length of the normalised instant velocity (SPARC) of the upper extremity during task performance
Time frame: Day 1 (during each of the three task performances within the single study session)
Variation of velocity
Coefficient of variation of the instant velocity of the upper extremity during task performance
Time frame: Day 1 (during each of the three task performances within the single study session)
Average distance between thumb and other fingers
Mean distance between thumb and other fingers during task performance
Time frame: Day 1 (during each of the three task performances within the single study session)
Variation of distance between thumb and other fingers
Coefficient of variation of the distance between thumb and other fingers during task performance
Time frame: Day 1 (during each of the three task performances within the single study session)
Thérèse Ntabuhashe Bibentyo, Er, PhD student
CONTACT
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