A virtual reality game for cognitive impairment screening in the elderly: a user perspective

Current Cognition Tests, Potential Virtual Reality Applications, and Serious Games in Cognitive Assessment and Non-Pharmacological Therapy for Neurocognitive Disorders

“…Most participants found the VR game to be easy to use, and noted that the experience was less stressful compared to the direct screening tests. However, while the test was functionally correlated to the paper MMSE, its precision was somewhat lacking, and a participant’s difficulty controlling the new technology was suggested to be a confounding factor [ 65 ]. Zygouris et al created a low-immersion virtual supermarket, which measured aspects of task completion, such as the time to complete a shopping list and the accuracy of the items bought, money paid, and types of items bought.…”

“…This also allows for more complex queries to be readily addressed in a controlled environment that would not be possible or feasible to do in a real environment, and the parameters of that environment can be readily changed as needed [ 69 ]. Additionally, the “gamification” of the testing task can counter the anxiety of standard testing, changing the activity into a more relaxed, engaging experience [ 65 ].…”

“…VR tools have been found to relate strongly to their real-world counterparts, particularly in navigation [ 57 ], and can be used to test certain facets such as episodic memory in a more realistic, utilitarian manner [ 59 ]. VR tests have superior ecological validity compared to their pen-and-paper counterparts [ 64 , 65 ]. Such tests of instrumental activities of daily living are invaluable in the diagnosis of pre-major NCD cases, and can help to predict the conversion of mild NCDs into AD [ 64 ].…”

“…In addition, some users of VR systems have problems with motion sickness, which can hinder their performance and can make use of the VR system unpleasant [ 51 ]. Tests such as the “Simulator Sickness Questionnaire” can allow for the identification of those who are susceptible to experiencing discomfort from the VR environment in a way that may alter their results [ 72 ]; certain features of the VR experience, such as many graphical frames per second and limitation of sharp turns, can be tuned to mitigate discomfort [ 65 ]. General technophobia is also an issue that can impede the use of VR and other computerized tests [ 64 , 65 ].…”

“…Tests such as the “Simulator Sickness Questionnaire” can allow for the identification of those who are susceptible to experiencing discomfort from the VR environment in a way that may alter their results [ 72 ]; certain features of the VR experience, such as many graphical frames per second and limitation of sharp turns, can be tuned to mitigate discomfort [ 65 ]. General technophobia is also an issue that can impede the use of VR and other computerized tests [ 64 , 65 ]. Some of these issues in accessibility, such as motion sickness, appear to be alleviated in recent work, perhaps due to improvements in the technology [ 73 ].…”