Effect of environment on motivation and sense of presence in healthy subjects performing reaching tasks

Better rehabilitation outcomes have been linked to higher levels of motivation in animal models of stroke recovery. Virtual reality environments have been postulated to increase the participant’s level of engagement and motivation in performing motor tasks. We evaluated motivation and presence in two groups of healthy participants (≪25 yrs old; ≥25yrs old) performing similar reaching tasks in four different environments — physical, 2D virtual reality, 3D virtual reality and video game. Sense of presence and motivation in each environment were assessed. Overall, the participants rated the video gaming environment as being the most motivating and enjoyable. The level of presence was related to motivation for the younger group only for the 2D VR environment but for all three VR environments in the older group. Our findings suggest that training environments can be made more motivating using virtual reality which is an important factor in maximizing motor recovery in neurological patients. Further research is needed to develop highly motivating applications suited to specific rehabilitation goals and patient needs.