PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Virtual reality could help stroke survivors regain movement

A Cochrane review has found that virtual reality (VR), when used in addition to standard therapy, can help stroke survivors regain arm movement

2025-06-20
(Press-News.org) A Cochrane review has found that virtual reality (VR), when used in addition to standard therapy, can help stroke survivors regain arm movement.  The findings suggests that VR could be a promising tool to boost rehabilitation efforts, particularly by increasing the amount of therapy patients receive.

Published today, this is the fourth update of a Cochrane review first released in 2011, and now includes data from 190 trials involving 7,188 participants – with 119 new studies added since the previous version in 2017. The review assessed a wide range of VR technologies, from simple screen-based gaming to immersive, head-mounted devices specifically developed for rehabilitation settings.

A team of Cochrane authors based in Australia, Canada, and the United States found that VR, when compared to conventional therapy, may slightly improve arm function and activity. More promising effects were seen when VR was added to usual care, increasing total therapy time and leading to greater gains in arm function.

"Spending more time in therapy is known to improve outcomes after stroke," said Professor Kate Laver, lead author from Flinders University. "Virtual reality can offer a fairly inexpensive and engaging way to increase the amount of therapy without a clinician’s supervision."

The review also found VR may be beneficial for improving balance and reducing activity limitations, though effects on mobility, participation, and quality of life remain uncertain due to limited or low-certainty evidence.

Despite the growing number of studies, many trials were small and used basic or low-cost VR technologies, such as off-the-shelf gaming systems. Few studies evaluated immersive, head-mounted systems, and their effectiveness is still unclear. The review also noted that most current VR programmes focus on movement training, rather than helping people regain functional abilities like dressing or cooking.

“This technology has the potential to simulate real-life environments, such as shopping in a supermarket or crossing a street, which allows clinicians to trial tasks that are unsafe to practise in the real world,” said Professor Laver. “Yet we’re still seeing simple VR interventions dominate the research. There’s a real opportunity for researchers to go further and develop more sophisticated, function-focused therapies.”

While adverse events were monitored in many of the included studies, they were rare and mild, suggesting that VR is generally safe and well tolerated.

The review highlights the need for more well-designed, larger studies, particularly those evaluating immersive and task-specific VR technologies, to understand how best to use this tool in stroke recovery.

END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Placenta and hormone levels in the womb may have been key driver in human evolution, say researchers

2025-06-19
The placenta and the hormones it produces may have played a crucial role in the evolution of the human brain, while also leading to the behavioural traits that have made human societies able to thrive and expand, according to a new hypothesis proposed by researchers from the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford. Dr Alex Tsompanidis, senior researcher at the Autism Research Centre in the University of Cambridge, and the lead author of this new study, said: “Small variations in the prenatal levels of steroid hormones, like testosterone and oestrogen, can predict the rate of social and cognitive learning in infants and even ...

BMJ finds inaccuracies in key studies for AstraZeneca’s blockbuster heart drug ticagrelor

2025-06-19
In a follow up investigation into the multibillion dollar drug ticagrelor, The BMJ has uncovered fresh concerns, this time in key platelet studies used in its FDA approval.  For more than a decade, ticagrelor (Brilinta in the US and Brilique in Europe) has been recommended for patients with acute coronary syndrome - a range of conditions related to sudden reduced blood flow to the heart. Last December, an investigation by The BMJ found serious data integrity problems in the landmark clinical trial (PLATO) that was used to ...

Paper outlines more efficient organic photoredox catalysis system inspired by photosynthesis

2025-06-19
EMBARGO: THIST CONTENT IS UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL 2 P.M. U.S. EASTERN STANDARD TIME ON JUNE 19, 2025. INTERESTED MEDIA MAY RECIVE A PREVIEW COPY OF THE JOURNAL ARTICLE IN ADVANCE OF THAT DATE OR CONDUCT INTERVIEWS, BUT THE INFORMATION MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, OR POSTED ONLINE UNTIL AFTER THE RELEASE WINDOW.  Colorado State University researchers have published a paper in Science that describes a new and more efficient light-based process for transforming fossil fuels into useful modern chemicals. In it, they report that their organic ...

Plastic bag bans: Study finds up to 47% drop in shoreline bag litter

2025-06-19
Among the biggest culprits of plastic pollution in the ocean and along shorelines are thin plastic shopping bags, which have low recycling rates and often become litter when they blow away in the wind. Once there, they can entangle animals and break down into harmful microplastics. As awareness of this problem has grown, more than 100 countries have instituted bans or fees on plastic bags. But what effect those policies are having on the amount of plastic litter in the marine environment had not been systematically evaluated until now.  A new study ...

Plastic bag policies are effective in reducing shoreline litter in the US

2025-06-19
Plastic bag regulations – bans and consumer fees – have led to meaningful reductions in plastic litter on U.S. shorelines, according to a new study. Plastic pollution has become a pervasive environmental issue; plastic debris comprises most of the marine litter worldwide and has been shown to pose serious threats to ocean life, ecosystems, and coastal economies.  Much of this pollution originates from land and enters the ocean via rivers, wastewater, or wind. Among the most problematic ...

Current chemical monitoring data hinders global water risk evaluations

2025-06-19
A large-scale analysis of U.S. water quality data reveals that most toxic chemicals remain poorly characterized or undetected in routine monitoring. This is largely due to sparse risk assessment data, as well as detection limits that are too high to capture ecologically relevant concentrations, researchers report. The findings suggest that the true scale of chemical risk to biodiversity and ecosystems may be significantly underestimated. Chemical pollution is widely recognized as a major threat to biodiversity, human health, and the stability of ecosystems worldwide. However, the accelerating rate at which new chemicals are introduced into the environment outpaces the current ability ...

New method enables in vivo generation of CAR T cells to treat cancer and autoimmune disease

2025-06-19
Researchers present a new method to safely and preferentially generate CAR T cells directly inside the body using targeted lipid nanoparticles that deliver mRNA directly to T cells. The approach showed rapid and sustained immune reprogramming in preclinical models, highlighting its promise for treating cancer and autoimmune diseases. Adoptive immunotherapy, which harnesses a patient’s own immune cells to treat disease, holds immense therapeutic potential. Among its most prominent forms is CAR T cell therapy, in ...

Decline in population data collection threatens global public policy

2025-06-19
In a Policy Forum, Jessica Espey and colleagues argue that waning support for accurate collection and curation of population data worldwide threatens to compromise crucial evidence-based government planning. “We live in an era of seemingly unlimited data, where our digital activities may generate nearly constant information streams, yet some of our most essential infrastructure – demographic information – is deteriorating, introducing known and unknown bias into decision-making,” write the authors. ...

Ocean ‘greening’ at poles could spell changes for fisheries

2025-06-19
DURHAM, N.C. -- Ocean waters are getting greener at the poles and bluer toward the equator, according to an analysis of satellite data published in Science on June 19. The change reflects shifting concentrations of a green pigment called chlorophyll made by phytoplankton, photosynthetic marine organisms at the base of the ocean food chain. If the trend continues, marine food webs could be affected, with potential repercussions for global fisheries. “In the ocean, what we see based on satellite measurements is that the tropics and the subtropics are generally losing chlorophyll, whereas ...

No data, no risk? How the monitoring of chemicals in the environment shapes the perception of risks

2025-06-19
Several hundred thousand chemicals are considered as potentially environmentally relevant. Scientists from the RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau in Germany show that monitoring data for surface waters are only available for a very small fraction of these chemicals. In their article, published in the latest issue of Science, the authors also demonstrate that the environmental risks of highly toxic chemicals might be overlooked, because these chemicals affect ecosystems at concentrations that cannot be detected on a regular basis. “We analyzed a very extensive US database for the presence of chemicals in the US surface waters ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Scientists find the first ice core from the European Alps that dates back to the last Ice Age

Yoga, Tai Chi, walking and jogging may be best forms of exercise for insomnia

Medical tourism for bariatric/weight reduction surgery needs urgent regulation

Funding for lifesaving global health programs forecasted to reach 15-year low, threatening to reverse decades of progress

Exercise could ease symptoms for people with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, but support and adequate guidance is lacking

Lost English legend decoded, solving Chaucerian mystery and revealing a medieval preacher’s meme

Stigma driving depression in alopecia patients, rather than illness severity

Eyes on the prize: Decoding eye contact

Technician-led eye clinics could lead to more timely NHS care

University of Birmingham and CBMM partner to drive disruptive innovation in carbon recycling

New study reveals gendered language patterns in children’s television across 60 years

Ancient fault line poses future earthquake hazard in Canada’s North

Scientists uncover DNA secrets to bolster corn crop traits

Hidden bacterial redundancy could be antibiotic game-changer

New study reveals how corals teach their offspring to beat the heat

Understanding relationship development: Towards a more rigorous approach

Surgical stroke initiative targets deadliest brain bleeds

Understanding how the superfungus Candida auris withstands antifungal treatment

Call for papers: CPA special issue on polypharmacology in cancer therapy—overcoming resistance and enhancing efficacy

An alternative adhesive for wearable medical devices

Pavlov’s dogs were conditioned to go to their treat. Why do some animals learn to interact with the bell instead?

Call for Young Editorial Board members at Current Molecular Pharmacology

MSU team develops scalable climate solutions for agricultural carbon markets

Playing an instrument may protect against cognitive aging

UNM study finds link between Grand Canyon landslide and Meteor Crater impact

Ultra-hot Jupiter’s death spiral could reveal stellar secrets

You only get one brain! The best helmet material for protecting your noggin

Neurodegeneration and stroke after GLP-1RAs in diabetes and obesity

Pediatric COVID-19 hospitalization trends by race and ethnicity, 2020-2023

Research spotlight: New genetic roadmap offers insights into obesity and diabetes

[Press-News.org] Virtual reality could help stroke survivors regain movement
A Cochrane review has found that virtual reality (VR), when used in addition to standard therapy, can help stroke survivors regain arm movement