The Dutch Oxford Cognitive Screen (OCS-NL): psychometric properties in Flemish stroke survivors.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The Oxford Cognitive Screen is a stroke-specific screen to evaluate attention, executive functions, memory, praxis, language, and numeric cognition. It was originally validated in England for acute stroke patients. In this study, we examined the psychometric properties of the Dutch OCS (OCS-NL). METHODS: A total of 193 (99 acute stroke unit, 94 rehabilitation unit) patients were included in our study. A subset of patients (n = 128) completed a retest with the parallel version of the OCS-NL. RESULTS: First, we did not find evidence for a difference in prevalence of impairment between patients in the acute stroke versus rehabilitation unit on all but one of the subtests. For praxis, we observed a 14% lower prevalence of impairment in the rehabilitation than the acute stroke unit. Second, the parallel-form reliability ranged from weak to excellent across subtests. Third, in stroke patients below age 60, the OCS-NL had a 92% sensitivity relative to the MoCA, while the MoCA had a 55% sensitivity relative to the OCS-NL. Last, although left-hemispheric stroke patients performed worse on almost all MoCA subdomains, they performed similarly to right-hemispheric stroke patients on non-language domains on the OCS-NL. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the OCS-NL is a reliable cognitive screen that can be used in acute stroke and rehabilitation units. The OCS-NL may be more sensitive to detect cognitive impairment in young stroke patients and less likely to underestimate cognitive abilities in left-hemispheric stroke patients than the MoCA.

An immersive virtual reality game to train spatial attention orientation after stroke: A feasibility study.

Immersive virtual reality (IVR) may boost neglect recovery, as it can provide an engaging experience in a 3D environment. We designed an IVR rehabilitation game for neglect patients using the Oculus Rift. Multisensory cues were presented in the neglected visual field in a patient-tailored way. We acquired pilot data in 15 neurologically healthy controls and 7 stroke patients. First, we compared cybersickness before and after VR exposure. Second, we assessed the user experience through a questionnaire. Third, we tested whether neglect symptoms corresponded between the VR game and a computerized cancelation task. Fourth, we evaluated the effect of the multisensory cueing on target discrimination. Last, we tested two algorithms to tailor the game to the characteristics of the neglected visual field. Cybersickness significantly reduced after VR exposure in six stroke patients and was low in healthy controls. Patients rated the user experience neutral to positive. In addition, neglect symptoms were consistent between a computerized cancelation and VR rehabilitation task. The multisensory cue positively affected target discrimination in the game and we successfully presented sensory stimulation to the neglected visual field in a patient-tailored way. Our results show that it is promising to use gamified patient-tailored immersive VR for neglect rehabilitation.