Assessment and treatment of the upper limb by means of virtual reality in post-stroke patients.

The disability deriving from stroke impacts heavily on the economic and social aspects of western countries because stroke survivors commonly experience various degrees of autonomy reduction in the activities of daily living. Recent developments in neuroscience, neurophysiology and computational science have led to innovative theories about the brain mechanisms of the motor system. Thereafter, innovative, scientifically based therapeutic strategies have initially arisen in the rehabilitation field. Promising results from the application of a virtual reality based technique for arm rehabilitation are reported.