SynthesisJournal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation2021
Getting into a "Flow" state: a systematic review of flow experience in neurological diseases.
Synthesis in Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 45 citations in OpenAlex.
- Enhanced functional connectivity between the default mode network and executive control network during flow states may facilitate creativity and emotional regulation, and may improve health outcomes.Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience · 2025Pooled it
- Getting into a "Flow" state: a systematic review of flow experience in neurological diseases.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation · 2021Pooled it
- Feasibility and User Experience of Immersive Virtual Reality-Based Rehabilitation in Patients With Stroke: Single-Arm Pretest-Posttest Pilot Study.JMIR serious games · 2026Article
- Engagement in gamified virtual reality sports activities and sports participation intention among adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: the mediating roles of immersion and enjoyment.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Muscle and mind: rewiring cognitive-motor recovery through exercise-responsive neurophysiology in neurological populations.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Review
- Monitoring cognition in multiple sclerosis via adaptive smartphone games-first insights from a validation study.Frontiers in digital health · 2026Article
- Combined Individual Experience and Accelerometry Measurement of Upper Limb Use in Daily Activities in Real Time After Stroke.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- The role of recreational flow experience and well-being on re-participation intention: recreational sport participants.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- Enhancing stroke rehabilitation with whole-hand haptic rendering: development and clinical usability evaluation of a novel upper-limb rehabilitation device.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation · 2024Article
- Recreational cycling provides greater satisfaction and flow in an immersive virtual environment than in real life.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2024Article
- Impact of virtual reality immersion on exercise performance and perceptions in young, middle-aged and older adults.PloS one · 2024Article
- PEMOCS: theory derivation of a concept for PErsonalized MOtor-Cognitive exergame training in chronic Stroke-a methodological paper with an application example.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2024Article
- Barriers to home exercise for patients with Parkinson's disease: a qualitative study.BMJ open · 2023Article
- Feasibility of a combined intermittent theta-burst stimulation and video game-based dexterity training in Parkinson's disease.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation · 2023Article
- Predictors of flow state in performing musicians: an analysis with the logistic regression method.Frontiers in psychology · 2023Article
- Usability of Two New Interactive Game Sensor-Based Hand Training Devices in Parkinson's Disease.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Can avatar homophily influence flow and exploratory behaviour of online users?Education and information technologies · 2022Article
- Using Large-Scale Sensor Data to Test Factors Predictive of Perseverance in Home Movement Rehabilitation: Optimal Challenge and Steady Engagement.Frontiers in neurology · 2022Article
- Advancing the Study of "Goals of Best Practice": Toward Achieving Optimal Best - Educational Implications to Developments in Flow Research and Positive Optimal Psychology.Frontiers in psychology · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundFlow is a subjective psychological state that people report when they are fully involved in an activity to the point of forgetting time and their surrounding except the activity itself. Being in flow during physical/cognitive rehabilitation may have a considerable impact on functional outcome, especially when patients with neurological diseases engage in exercises using robotics, virtual/augmented reality, or serious games on tablets/computer. When developing new therapy games, measuring flow experience can indicate whether the game motivates one to train. The purpose of this study was to identify and systematically review current literature on flow experience assessed in patients with stroke, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease. Additionally, we critically appraised, compared and summarized the measurement properties of self-reported flow questionnaires used in neurorehabilitation setting.
designA systematic review using PRISMA and COSMIN guidelines.
methodsMEDLINE Ovid, EMBASE Ovid, CINAHL EBSCO, SCOPUS were searched. Inclusion criteria were (1) peer-reviewed studies that (2) focused on the investigation of flow experience in (3) patients with neurological diseases (i.e., stroke, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis and/or Parkinson's disease). A qualitative data synthesis was performed to present the measurement properties of the used flow questionnaires.
resultsTen studies out of 911 records met the inclusion criteria. Seven studies measured flow in the context of serious games in patients with stroke, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease. Three studies assessed flow in other activities than gaming (song-writing intervention and activities of daily living). Six different flow questionnaires were used, all of which were originally validated in healthy people. None of the studies presented psychometric data in their respective research population.
conclusionThe present review indicates that flow experience is increasingly measured in the physical/cognitive rehabilitation setting in patients with neurological diseases. However, psychometric properties of used flow questionnaires are lacking. For exergame developers working in the field of physical/cognitive rehabilitation in patients with neurological diseases, a valid flow questionnaire can help to further optimize the content of the games so that optimal engagement can occur during the gameplay. Whether flow experiences can ultimately have positive effects on physical/cognitive parameters needs further study.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.