Effects of VR-based Rehabilitation Video for Visual Vertigo on Autonomic Nervous System and Subjective Immersion and Interest in the Elderly

Background/Objectives:Many elderly people experience visual vertigo. VR will provide optokinetic stimulation to help reduce visual vertigo. This study is to investigate the rehabilitative effects of VR-based rehabilitation video.

Method/Statistical Analysis:The subjects of this study were 51 elderly people. The rehabilitation video was produced on the basis of traditional visual vertigo rehabilitation video. After watching the rehabilitation video, all subjects were measured for autonomic nervous system activity, heart rate and asked to write a questionnaire on subjective commitment and interest composed of 5 points scale. The collected data were subjected to independent t-test for comparison between groups.

Findings:In subjects who experienced visual vertigo, VR video group showed higher value in sympathetic nervous system activity and parasympathetic nervous system activity after visualization of rehabilitation video than general video group and, subjective immersion and interest showed the same results. In subjects who nonexperienced visual vertigo, on the other hand, VR video group showed higher value than general video group only in subjective immersion and interest after visualization of rehabilitation video. Based on the results of this study, the 360 degree VR rehabilitation video seems to have better therapeutic effect on visual vertigo than the existing video.

Improvements/Applications:Therefore, the convergent use of VR in the vestibular rehabilitation area improved the rehabilitation effect. Future research will increase the participation of active rehabilitation through the development of VR rehabilitation contents and programs.