Gamified virtual reality in post-stroke neurorehabilitation: a systematic review

Introduction Huge and increasing global rehabilitation needs, affecting more than 2.4 billion people, require the mainstream adoption of the latest innovative technological solutions, including but not limited to virtual reality (VR), robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), or games. This systematic review focuses on the use and potential of gamified VR in post-stroke neurorehabilitation to effectively address patient engagement and motivation, scalability, costs, and the scarcity of specialists. Methods Our review, conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology, identified 4,856 records narrowed down to 66 key studies from five major databases. These studies were categorized and analyzed based on the technologies used, game mechanics, gamification techniques, adaptation to the user, and evaluation procedure. Results Our findings draw significant conclusions for each of these aspects and ultimately highlight the potential of gamified VR to become a mainstream neurorehabilitation technology for post-stroke patients, scalable to societal needs and improving recovery outcomes. Our review concludes with a discussion of the future directions and implications for clinical practice in neurorehabilitation using gamified VR technologies.