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Integrated bio-cooperative robotic platform for virtual cognitive training in Parkinson's disease: design and methodology of the OPERA project
Cristina Polito, Giulia Martinelli, Sara Della Bella, Eleonora Pavan, Ylenia Crocetto, Simona Abagnale, Cristiana Rondoni, Alfonso Voscarelli et al.. Frontiers in Neurology, 2026-01-26
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
Introduction Mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease (PD-MCI) can affect several cognitive domains, including attention, working memory, executive functions, language, visuospatial skills, and episodic memory, resulting in a progressive reduction of autonomy and an increased risk of dementia.
Key findings
- Introduction Mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease (PD-MCI) can affect several cognitive domains, including attention, working memory, executive functions, language, visuospatial skills, and episodic memory, resulting in a progressive reduction of autonomy and an increased risk of dementia.
Why it matters
This is a design and methodology paper for the OPERA project, which will develop a robotic platform for virtual cognitive training in Parkinson's disease. No results are available yet, so it cannot yet say whether this training affects cognitive decline or dementia risk.
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Study details
- Study designclinical trial
- Participants23
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 42/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Frontiers in Neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Frontiers in Neurology: journal h-index 162 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | Design recorded as “clinical trial”, which our rubric does not rank (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 5 / 5 | 2026 — within 1 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 1 / 4 | 23 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 1 / 7 | Cited 2 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 1 / 5 | 1.0 citations a year over 2 year(s) since 2026 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 9.5× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 0 / 4 | Cited 2 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Anna Estraneo: h-index 32 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 0 / 3 | Università Campus Bio-Medico: institution h-index 323 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 41669531) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 42 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2025.1680215
- PubMed: 41669531
- Original source →
- Free full text: Frontiers in Neurology →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Polito, C., Martinelli, G., Della Bella, S., Pavan, E., Crocetto, Y., Abagnale, S., et al. (2026). Integrated bio-cooperative robotic platform for virtual cognitive training in Parkinson's disease: design and methodology of the OPERA project. Frontiers in Neurology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2025.1680215
Vancouver
Polito C, Martinelli G, Della Bella S, Pavan E, Crocetto Y, Abagnale S, et al. Integrated bio-cooperative robotic platform for virtual cognitive training in Parkinson's disease: design and methodology of the OPERA project. Frontiers in Neurology. 2026. doi:10.3389/fneur.2025.1680215. PMID: 41669531.
BibTeX
@article{polito2026-41669531,
author = {Polito, Cristina and Martinelli, Giulia and Della Bella, Sara and Pavan, Eleonora and Crocetto, Ylenia and Abagnale, Simona and Rondoni, Cristiana and Voscarelli, Alfonso and others},
title = {{Integrated bio-cooperative robotic platform for virtual cognitive training in Parkinson's disease: design and methodology of the OPERA project}},
journal = {Frontiers in Neurology},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.3389/fneur.2025.1680215},
pmid = {41669531},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2025.1680215}
}
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.