Cognitive demand in a VR-enriched arm training and its relation to performance, motivation and cognitive abilities

Nowadays virtual reality (VR) is a common tool in neurorehabilitation. However, developing scenarios that maximize therapeutic outcome remains an ongoing challenge. In a virtual scenario with varying cognitive complexity, this study investigated the influence of cognitive abilities, arousal and motivation on movement training. Results show that cognitive demand is a crucial factor for controlling motivation and performance in a virtual reality-enriched motor training with stroke patients.