Chronic pain treatment through virtual reality

Chronic pain is a notable issue of public healthcare, causing enormous direct and indirect costs, and a reduction of the quality of life in the affected patients. In this study, we have used Virtual Reality (VR) as a method to reduce stress, anxiety and pain in patients affected by chronic pain. We examined two cohorts of patients: an experimental group and a control group. The patients in the experimental group were administered eight VR sessions, each of those lasted thirty minutes, while the control group had a standard therapy. The results are encouraging: they demonstrate the efficacy of VR treatment and the safety of the method.

Educational Robotics to Improve Mathematical and Metacognitive Skills

This paper describes the use of robotic kits as tools in developing mathematical and metacognitive skills, as the planning, reasoning and problem solving capabilities in young students. A sample of 30 students involved in an extracurricular laboratory based on robotics activities (10 meetings; three hours each, once a week). Quantitative and qualitative data showed that robotics activities may be intended as a new metacognitive environment that allows students to improve the attitude in mathematics, or increase the propensity to reflect on themselves and on their own learning, and higher-level control components, such as forecasting, planning, monitoring and evaluation exercises and problem…

Utilizzo della realtà virtuale per la valutazione delle funzioni esecutive in pazienti con disturbo ossessivo compulsivo

Parental Attitudes toward Videogames at School

Despite research having highlighted the positive outcomes of the use of videogames to learn, their integration into school contexts remains rare. Literature recognizes the importance of user’s technology acceptance to predict the intention to use and the adoption of new technology in several settings. So far, investigations have primarily focused on students’ and teachers’ opinions, while only a few studies have considered the role of parents. This study aimed to investigate the role of the dimensions of the technology acceptance model on parental preference (254 Italian parents) for the adoption of videogames in primary or secondary schools. Results revealed that 71% of the variance of par…

Virtual Reality environments to reduce dental anxiety

Dental procedural pain and anxiety are issues that affect a conspicuous part of the population, leading to a decrease of dental care frequency. The problem affects the patient as well as the dentist, who often has to face a certain resistance by the patients while doing the necessary procedures. The aim of the study is to demonstrate that is possible to reduce this anxiety through the use of Virtual Reality (VR). A group of 7 patients was immersed in a VR scenario during dental treatment in order to distract them from the feared procedure. The results are encouraging and show how VR is capable of insulating the subject from the surrounding annoying stimuli

Implementazione del Virtual Multiple Errand Test per la valutazione delle funzioni esecutive

Virtual reality environments to rehabilitation attention deficits in schizophrenic patients

Abstract. Cognitive dysfunction is a core feature of schizophrenia. Patients with schizophrenia shown perform poorly on tasks that require vigilance or sustained attention. Patients with more pronounced attention deficits are least likely to acquire skills in psychosocial programs as the attention problems makes it difficult for them to process the information given in groups, and they may not be able to sustain attention for the session duration. The study aimed to develop a Virtual Reality cognitive training to improve the selective, divide and sustained attention. Specifically, we developed, via the NeuroVr 2.0 software, three different virtual environments with the hierarchical sequence…

Use of Internet in an italian clinical sample

This study is aimed at evaluating Internet use in a psychiatric population. We used the UADI questionnaire to investigate the degree of addictive Internet use in our sample of patients affected by various psychiatric disorders. Several psychological and psychopathological variables related to internet use, have been assessed through the five dimensions of the UADI: dissociation (DIS), Impact on real life (IMP), Experimentation (EXP), Dependence (DEP), Escape (ESC).

Cognitive assessment of OCD patients: Neuro VR vs neuropsychological test

This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Neuro- Virtual Reality as tool for the neuropsychological assessment in OCD patients. We used the neuropsychological battery and a virtual version of the Multiple Errand Test (V-MET), developed using the NeuroVR software, in order to evaluate the executive functions, the ability to plan ahead on complex problem solving tasks in daily life in 30 obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) patients and 30 healthy controls. The results showed the presence of difficulties of OCD patients: lower levels of divided attention and higher levels of errors; higher mean rank of inefficiencies, interpretation failures and rule breaks and longer ti…

Cognitive rehabilitation of schizophrenia through NeuroVr training.

Cognitive difficulties are prevalent in people with diagnosis of schizophrenia and are associated with poor long-term functioning. In particular, memory, selective, divided and sustained attention and executive functions are altered by this disease. We used a Virtual Reality environment (developed via the NeuroVr2.0 software) for the rehabilitation of shifting, sustained attention and action planning functions using tasks reminiscent of daily life tasks. Test and retest showed significant differences in the assessed cognitive dimensions.