Smartphone-Based Auditory Motion Stimulation for Hemispatial Neglect: Development and Usability Study

Hemispatial neglect affects approximately 33% of patients after acute stroke and is linked to poor recovery. Auditory motion stimulation, particularly using spatial cues, can enhance spatial awareness and has shown promise in experimental settings.

This study aimed to develop and evaluate Neglect Radio, a smartphone app that delivers auditory motion stimulation, focusing on sound realism and usability in healthy volunteers.

Two auditory motion rendering methods, dynamic stereo volume control and standardized head-related transfer functions (HRTFs), were implemented in a mobile app streaming public radio content. In an online study, 37 healthy volunteers rated spatial realism (0-100 scale) of 5 audio sources in 3 conditions: static stereo, volume control motion, and HRTF-based motion. Independent samples 1-tailed t tests compared realism scores. Ten participants tested the app for 15 minutes and completed the System Usability Scale (SUS).

HRTF-based audio was rated as being significantly more realistic than volume control (t₇₂=3.722; P<.001), and both motion conditions scored significantly higher than static stereo. The mean SUS score was 86.5 (SD 6.9), exceeding the 68-point threshold for above-average usability and a rating of "excellent."

Neglect Radio successfully produced realistic spatial auditory motion and achieved excellent usability ratings in healthy participants. This smartphone-based platform is scalable, accessible, and engaging, with potential to complement hemispatial neglect rehabilitation. However, clinical efficacy in stroke patients with hemispatial neglect has not yet been evaluated and requires confirmation in controlled trials.