Comparison Study of 'Virtual Teacher' Support for Rehabilitation After Stroke.

"The treatment will be performed in a darkened room, to avoid distraction provided by environmental stimuli. The patients will be seat on a standard chair in front of a wall screen handling a sensorized object with plegic hand. In case of grasping deficits the hand's surface will be used as end effector (i.e. sensorized glove worn by the patient). During the treatment a specific feedback called virtual teacher will be displayed. The Reinforced Feedback in Virtual Environment (RFVE) approach consists of performing different motor tasks moving the end effector simultaneously displayed in the virtual scenario. The Virtual Reality Rehabilitation System (VRRS®. Khymeia Group, Noventa Padovana. Italy) will be used as device to provide the artificial environment."

The patients allocated to NEVER TEACHER group, will be treated using the VRRS and the proceedings will be the same as described for experimental group. In this group, the patient will move the real object (e.g. ball) following the trajectory of the corresponding virtual object displayed on the wall screen in accordance with the requested virtual task and without the 'virtual teacher' support.