Psychological Management by Meditation of Full COnscience in Virtual REality of People With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Effects on Cognition, Behavior, Quality of Life and Psychological Well-being

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease that results in progressive paralysis of the muscles involved in voluntary motor skills, speech, swallowing and breathing. It also causes non-motor symptoms including psychological, cognitive and behavioral difficulties that have a negative impact on patients' quality of life, well-being and long-term development. There is no curative therapy for ALS and drug treatments have little effect on non-motor symptoms. Interventions based on mindfulness meditation, defined as a state of consciousness that arises when one decides to focus attention in the present moment without judgment on the real experience, seem to be a promising tool for the reduction of non-motor symptoms in a number of progressive neurological conditions (Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, etc.), suggesting that mindfulness significantly helps in the management of these symptoms. Our project therefore aims to implement a mindfulness meditation program adapted to the management of non-motor symptoms in ALS based on virtual reality (VR).