Article

A frequent consequence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a significant reduction
in patients' cerebral activation/arousal, which clinicians agree is not conducive
to optimal rehabilitation outcomes. In the context of paediatric rehabilitation,
sustained periods of inactivity are particularly undesirable, as contemporary
research has increasingly called into question the Kennard principle that youth
inherently promotes greater neural plasticity and functional recovery following
TBI. Therefore, the onus to create rehabilitation conditions most conducive to
harnessing plasticity falls squarely on the shoulders of clinicians. Having noted
the efficacy of environmental enrichment in promoting neural plasticity and
positive functional outcomes in the animal literature, some researchers have
suggested that the emerging technology of Virtual Reality (VR) could provide the
means to increase patients' cerebral activation levels via the use of enriched
Virtual Environments (VEs). However, 10 years on, this intuitively appealing
concept has received almost no attention from researchers and clinicians alike.
This paper overviews recent research on the benefits of enriched environments in
the injured brain and identifies the potential and challenges associated with
implementing VR-based enrichment in paediatric neuropsychological rehabilitation.

Langue : ANGLAIS