USE OF VIRTUAL REALITY TECHNOLOGIES TO RESTORE COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS AND QUALITY OF LIFE: AN APPLICATION FOR CARDIAC PATIENTS WITH BRAIN ISCHEMIA

Abstract

The review presents the results of publications aimed to using neuro- and cardiac rehabilitation programs by virtual reality technologies (VRT), including the integration of multisensory and multidomain tasks, as well as the results of publications performed as a meta-analysis of such studies. It is shown that VRTs make it possible to simulate interactive scenarios for simulating vigorous activity with given visual, tactile and kinesthetic sensations and with their correction in accordance with the needs of various users. It is noted that when developing programs based on VRT, it is necessary to take into account the degree of immersion of users in the virtual environment and the symptoms of a possible occurrence of virtual reality sickness. The results of meta-reviews of published articles indicate the need to continue research in this direction due to the wide variety of rehabilitation programs, used indicators of cognitive functions and health status in heterogeneous populations of healthy individuals and cardiac patients involved in training. The results obtained allow us to conclude that for neuro- and cardiorehabilitation, training using multitasking and combining cognitive and physical load based on the use of VRT seems to be the most effective. To reduce anxiety and stress, the direction of ecotherapy in a virtual environment is promising.