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. 2022 Jun 13:10:879422.
doi: 10.3389/fped.2022.879422. eCollection 2022.

Virtual Reality-Based Sensory Stimulation for Pediatric Disorders of Consciousness: A Pilot Study

Piao Liang  1 , Hong Xu  1 , Sinan Li  1 , Lei Ren  2 , Xiaoke Zhao  1
Affiliations

Virtual Reality-Based Sensory Stimulation for Pediatric Disorders of Consciousness: A Pilot Study

Piao Liang et al. Front Pediatr. .

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether virtual reality-based sensory stimulation has the ability to improve the level of consciousness in pediatric disorders of consciousness compared with general rehabilitation.

Methods: Thirty subjects were divided into a virtual reality (VR) group (n = 15) and a control group (n = 15). Subjects in the VR group received both general rehabilitation and exposure to VR videos; the control group received only general rehabilitation. The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R), and amplitude-integrated electroencephalogram (EEG) (aEEG) were used to measure the clinical behavioral response and neuroelectrophysiology before and after the treatment. The Glasgow Outcome Scale Extended Pediatric Revised (GOS-E Peds) was used to measure the social and personal functional ability after 3 months.

Results: After 2 weeks of treatment, the CRS-R and GCS improved in both groups. However, the VR group had better results than the control group in the CRS-R (p = 0.003) and GCS (p = 0.045). There were no significant differences on aEEG in the two groups after treatment. According to the GOS-E Peds, the improvement of social and personal functional ability had no significant differences in the two groups. Additionally, there were no obvious adverse reactions in the two group during the treatment.

Conclusions: This pilot study indicates potential benefit from the addition of VR to standard rehabilitation in pediatric disorders of consciousness. To further explore the efficacy of VR, a large-sample randomized controlled trial is warranted.

Keywords: disorders of consciousness; pediatric; pilot study; sensory stimulation; virtual reality.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Diagram describing study flow. GCS, Glasgow Coma Scale; CRS-R, Coma Recovery Scale-Revised; EEG, electroencephalogram; TMS, transcranial magnetic stimulation; VR, virtual reality; GOS-E Peds, Glasgow Outcome Scale Extended Pediatric Revised.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Virtual reality headset and pictures. (A) The virtual reality system used in the study. The system includes head-mounted equipment, control handles, infrared locators, computer; (B) The patient is watching virtual reality video; (C) A picture of “Submarine VR”.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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