Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024;14(4):895-898.
doi: 10.3233/JPD-240011.

Feasibility of Somato-Cognitive Coordination Therapy Using Virtual Reality for Patients with Advanced Severe Parkinson's Disease

Masahiko Hara  1   2 , Yuichiro Murakawa  1 , Tomomi Wagatsuma  1 , Keito Shinmoto  1 , Masatake Tamaki  1
Affiliations

Feasibility of Somato-Cognitive Coordination Therapy Using Virtual Reality for Patients with Advanced Severe Parkinson's Disease

Masahiko Hara et al. J Parkinsons Dis. 2024.

Abstract

This feasibility study enrolled 20 patients with advanced severe Parkinson's disease (PD) to evaluate somato-cognitive coordination therapy (SCCT) using virtual reality. Focusing on the safety and tolerability of SCCT, 17 patients (76±9 years old and 64.7% male) completed the 3-month trial. Key observations included absence of adverse events and tolerability of the participants to SCCT despite initial apprehensions and minor adjustments in medication. Physical functions showed no significant deterioration, suggesting the safety of SCCT. In conclusion, SCCT emerges as feasible and well-tolerated intervention in advanced severe PD, requiring further research to assess its therapeutic efficacy.

Keywords: Parkinson’s disease; Virtual reality; motor coordination.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Masahiko Hara and Masatake Tamaki are directors of mediVR, Inc. and hold private equity. Yuichiro Murakawa, Tomomi Wagatsuma, and Keito Shinmoto are full-time employees of mediVR, Inc. Otherwise, the authors have no conflict of interest to report.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
mediVR KAGURA-Guided Somato-Cognitive Coordination Therapy. The patient treatment scene (a) and an image displayed on a device (b). Schematic illustrations of healthy reaching motion (c) and the entangled somato-cognitive action network in a patient (d). After 3 months, there were no significant deteriorations in the Timed Up & Go (TUG) test scores (e), the simple test for evaluating hand function (STEF) score (f), Movement Disorder Society-unified Parkinson’s disease rating scale (MDS-UPDRS) Part 3 (g), and functional independence measure (FIM) (h). Permission was granted by the patient.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Shulman LM, Gruber-Baldini AL, Anderson KE, Vaughan CG, Reich SG, Fishman PS, Weiner WJ (2008) The evolution of disability in Parkinson disease. Mov Disord 23 790–796. - PubMed
    1. Gilbert R, Khemani P (2022) Treatment of advanced Parkinson’s disease. J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol 35 12–23. - PubMed
    1. Fox SH, Katzenschlager R, Lim SY, Barton B, de Bie RMA, Seppi K, Coelho M, Sampaio C; (2018) Movement Disorder Society Evidence-Based Medicine Committee International Parkinson and movement disorder society evidence-based medicine review: Update on treatments for the motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Mov Disord 33 1248–1266. - PubMed
    1. Schrag A, Hommel ALAJ, Lorenzl S, Meissner WG, Odin P, Coelho M, Bloem BR, Dodel R; (2020) CLaSP consortium The late stage of Parkinson’s -results of a large multinational study on motor and non-motor complications. Parkinsonism Relat Disord 75 91–96. - PubMed
    1. Canning CG, Allen NE, Nackaerts E, Paul SS, Nieuwboer A, Gilat M (2020) Virtual reality in research and rehabilitation of gait and balance in Parkinson disease. Nat Rev Neurol 16 409–425. - PubMed