Incorporation of Augmented Visual Feedback in Action Observation Therapy and Motor Imagery for Parkinson's Disease: A Randomized Clinical Study

Improving motor control in Parkinson’s disease (PD) rehabilitation is challenging, but technology may provide valuable support. The TecnoBody® D-wall, with a 3D camera, force plates, and a digital mirror, analyzes movement in real time. This study hypothesizes that integrating this technology into Action Observation and Motor Imagery Therapy (AOMIT) could enhance motor learning by providing a corrective feedback, improving body orientation awareness and compensating for sensory integration deficits. The objective is to assess whether AOMIT combined with D-wall technology improves dynamic postural control more effectively than AOMIT alone. A single-blind randomized controlled trial including 86 inpatient participants with idiopathic PD. They will be assessed for cognitive functioning, degree of physical disability, mental-image clarity, kinematic, spatio-temporal and biomechanical gait parameters, balance and mobility, to be then randomly assigned to an experimental group (AOMIT boosted with D-wall technology) and control group (AOMIT alone). All participants will undergo three sessions per week for four weeks of AOMIT, other than conventional treatment. They will be reassessed post-intervention and four weeks later and data analyzed through a mixed factorial ANOVA. Superior improvements are expected for the experimental group, highlighting enhanced motor learning through augmented visual feedback, providing an advance in the AOMIT research in PD. This study, with its novel approach to AOMIT, may contribute to improving motor control in PD.