CA24123 - Extended Reality Neurorehabilitation of Spatial Neglect and Related Disorders After Brain Injury (neuroXRehab)

This COST Action addresses the important need for improving health and function in a large group of people with acquired brain injuries (ABI) by leveraging extended reality (XR) technology for personalised and cost-effective neurorehabilitation of spatial neglect (SN) and related disorders. Extended reality, an umbrella term for virtual, mixed, and augmented reality, offers exciting new possibilities for assessment and treatment of SN, a common cognitive disorder after ABI. Individuals affected by SN pay no or insufficient attention to the side of space opposite to the injured brain hemisphere. SN independently predicts prolonged hospitalisation, poor rehabilitation outcomes, and slows recovery. Thus, SN constitutes a substantial burden for the individual, their caregivers, and health services. Conventional assessment and treatment of SN have insufficient diagnostic accuracy and efficacy.

Advances in XR technology allow for combined cognitive-motor assessment and treatment that is costeffective and reduce the impairment of ABI survivors and the financial burden to society. XR neurorehabilitation will improve the assessment of SN and related disorders (differential diagnostics) and individually tailored treatment (precision medicine) to increase specificity and intensity of neurorehabilitation across the continuum of care, including self- and telerehabilitation. This collaboration of experts such as researchers, clinicians, developers, patients and caregivers will result in a platform for sharing knowledge, defining XR guidelines, promoting coordinated research projects and increasing the technical readiness level of XR neurorehabilitation. The Action will drive the technological and scientific development in XR applications for neurorehabilitation and contribute to positioning the EU as a major player in health technologies.