Effectiveness of Serious Games for Leap Motion on the Functionality of the Upper Limb in Parkinson’s Disease: A Feasibility Study

• Published in: Computational intelligence and neuroscience Vol. 2018; no. 2018; pp. 1 - 17
• Main Authors: Collado-Vázquez, Susana, Cano-de la Cuerda, Roberto, Balaguer, Carlos, Oña, Edwin Daniel, Jardón, Alberto
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cairo, Egypt Hindawi Publishing Corporation 01.01.2018; Hindawi; John Wiley & Sons, Inc; Hindawi Limited
• Subjects: Aged; Artificial intelligence; Automation; Bioinformatics; Clinical trials; Computer & video games; Computer science; Dopamine; Educational software; Feasibility Studies; Female; Functional Laterality; Health aspects; Humans; International conferences; Male; Manual dexterity; Medical research; Medicine, Experimental; Middle Aged; Motion sensors; Motor ability; Motor Activity - physiology; Neurological Rehabilitation - methods; Parkinson Disease - drug therapy; Parkinson Disease - physiopathology; Parkinson Disease - psychology; Parkinson Disease - rehabilitation; Parkinson's disease; Patient Satisfaction; Patients; Pilot Projects; Recovery of Function; Rehabilitation; Sensors; Severity of Illness Index; Stroke; Therapy, Computer-Assisted - methods; Treatment Outcome; Upper Extremity - physiopathology; Usability; Video Games
• ISSN: 1687-5265; 1687-5273
• DOI: 10.1155/2018/7148427

The design and application of Serious Games (SG) based on the Leap Motion sensor are presented as a tool to support the rehabilitation therapies for upper limbs. Initially, the design principles and their implementation are described, focusing on improving both unilateral and bilateral manual dexterity and coordination. The design of the games has been supervised by specialized therapists. To assess the therapeutic effectiveness of the proposed system, a protocol of trials with Parkinson’s patients has been defined. Evaluations of the physical condition of the participants in the study, at the beginning and at the end of the treatment, are carried out using standard tests. The specific measurements of each game give the therapist more detailed information about the patients’ evolution after finishing the planned protocol. The obtained results support the fact that the set of developed video games can be combined to define different therapy protocols and that the information obtained is richer than the one obtained through current clinical metrics, serving as method of motor function assessment.