Virtual Reality System with Immersive HMD for Assessment of Unilateral Neglect

Abstract

This paper presents a virtual reality system with an immersive head-mounted display for assessment of unilateral neglect. Unilateral Spatial Neglect (USN) is a neuropsychological condition in which a deficit in attention to and awareness of one side of space is observed. Paper-and-pencil tests are used as a quick assessment for the diagnosis of USN in rehabilitation field. However, the sensitivity of these tests is not sufficient for evaluating patient's adaptability to more complex and practical tasks. In this study, we therefore developed a virtual reality system to simulate rehabilitation tasks in 3D environment and measure behavioral data such as gaze point, posture and movement. Moreover, we propose a method of feature extraction with topological mapping for measuring the cognitive function on rehabilitation tasks in the virtual space. Furthermore, this paper presents an experimental example to discuss the applicability of the proposed method.