Motor learning from virtual reality to natural environments in individuals with Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Abstract

Purpose: To examine whether performance improvements in the virtual environment generalize to the natural environment. Study design: we had 64 individuals, 32 of which were individuals with DMD and 32 were typically developing individuals. Methods: The groups practiced two coincidence timing tasks. In the more tangible button-press task, the individuals were required to ‘intercept’ a falling virtual object at the moment it reached the interception point by pressing a key on the computer. In the more abstract task, they were instructed to ‘intercept’ the virtual object by making a hand movement in a virtual environment using a webcam. Results and Conclusions: For individuals with DMD, conducting a coincidence timing task in a virtual environment facilitated transfer to the real environment. However, we emphasize that a task practiced in a virtual environment should have higher rates of difficulties than a task practiced in a real environment.

IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION

• Virtual environments can be used to promote improved performance in ?real-world? environments.

• Virtual environments offer the opportunity to create paradigms similar ?real-life? tasks, however task complexity and difficulty levels can be manipulated, graded and enhanced to increase likelihood of success in transfer of learning and performance.

• Individuals with DMD, in particular, showed immediate performance benefits after using virtual reality

Keywords:

• Duchenne muscular dystrophy
• motor learning
• virtual reality
• computer-assisted technology
• timing coincident

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.