Fully Immersive Virtual Reality-Based Cognitive Remediation for Adults with Psychosocial Disabilities: A Systematic Scoping Review of Methods Intervention Gaps and Meta-Analysis of Published Effectiveness Studies

Perra, Alessandra; Riccardo, Chiara Laura; Lorenzo, Valerio De; Marco, Erika De; Natale, Lorenzo Di; Kurotschka, Peter Konstantin; Preti, Antonio; Carta, Mauro Giovanni

doi:10.3390/ijerph20021527

Cited by 16 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 86 publications

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“…In addition, the role of VR in the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s is gaining scientific interest, as it offers benefits for both cognitively healthy people and those with cognitive decline ( 22 , 23 ). The field of human-computer interaction, particularly in the area of rehabilitation, has undergone a profound transformation due to advances in sensor technology ( 24 ).…”

Section: Ready Set Vr! the Senior Sprint Into A Healthier Digital Fro...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Crossing the digital frontier: are older adults ready for virtual reality workouts?

Ramalho,

Duarte-Mendes,

Paulo

et al. 2024

Front. Public Health

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In the dynamic web of our digital age, virtual reality (VR) is crystallizing as a promising medium for promoting physical activity in older adults, overcoming age-old barriers. This perspective article explores the intricate synergy between VR and physical activity in older adults and highlights the many challenges of aging within a virtual environment. While VR heralds the potential for multisensory interaction and cognitive enhancement, a thorough assessment of its impact is paramount. The reach of VR goes beyond immediate applications and permeates the emotional and psychological realms of the human journey. Such an exploration requires a comprehensive perspective that goes beyond a purely technical assessment. The aim of this article is not to present clear-cut solutions, but to encourage reflection on the diverse impact of VR on our aging population. We argue for a future in which technology complements, rather than eclipses, the depth of human experience.

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Section: Ready Set Vr! the Senior Sprint Into A Healthier Digital Fro...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Crossing the digital frontier: are older adults ready for virtual reality workouts?

Ramalho,

Duarte-Mendes,

Paulo

et al. 2024

Front. Public Health

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“…The potential of immersive VR for cognitive training in the elderly population has gained signi cant attention in recent years. Meta-analyzes and systematic reviews provide evidence for the e cacy of this type of intervention in various populations, including healthy older adults as well as individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), dementia, and traumatic brain injury [4,16,26,27].…”

Section: Comparison With Prior Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Virtual reality-based training may improve visual memory and some aspects of sustained attention among healthy older adults – preliminary results of a randomized controlled study

Szczepocka,

Mokros,

Kaźmierski

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Background/Aims Older age and cognitive inactivity have been associated with cognitive impairment, which in turn is linked to economic and societal burdens due to the high costs of care, especially for care homes and informal care. Emerging non-pharmacological interventions using new technologies, such as virtual reality (VR) delivered on a head-mounted display (HMD), might offer an alternative to maintain or improve cognition. The study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a VR-based Digital Therapeutics application for improving cognitive functions among healthy older adults. Methods Seventy-two healthy seniors (experimental group N = 35, control group N = 37), aged 65–85 years, were recruited by the Medical University of Lodz (Poland). Participants were randomly allocated to the experimental group (a VR-based cognitive training which consists of a warm-up module and three tasks, including one-back and dual-N-back) or to the control group (a regular VR headset app only showing nature videos). The exercises are performed in different 360-degree natural environments while listening to a preferred music genre and delivered on a head-mounted display (HMD). The 12-week intervention of 12 minutes was delivered at least three times per week (36 sessions). Compliance and performance were followed through a web-based application. Primary outcomes included attention and working memory (CNS-Vital Signs computerized cognitive battery). Secondary outcomes comprised other cognitive domains. Mixed linear models were constructed to elucidate the difference in pre- and post-intervention measures between the experimental and control groups. Results The users performed, on average, 39.8 sessions (range 1-100), and 60% performed more than 36 sessions. The experimental group achieved higher scores in the visual memory module (B = 7.767, p = 0.011) and in the one-back continuous performance test (in terms of correct responses: B = 2.057, p = 0.003 and omission errors: B=-1.950, p = 0.007) than the control group in the post-test assessment. The results were independent of participants' sex, age, and years of education. The differences in CNS Vital Signs' global score, working memory, executive function, reaction time, processing speed, simple and complex attention, verbal memory, cognitive flexibility, motor speed, and psychomotor speed were not statistically significant. Conclusions VR-based cognitive training may prove to be a valuable, efficacious, and well-received tool in terms of improving visual memory and some aspect of sustainability of attention among healthy older adults. Final conclusions will be drawn after the analysis of the target sample size. Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov ID NCT05369897

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“…IVR provides a virtual environment that replicates realistic social situations and uses dynamic avatars to represent different emotional states, allowing patients to practice and improve their emotional and social recognition skills in a safe and controlled environment. In addition, IVR enables real-time assessment of emotions, thoughts, behaviors and physiological responses, allowing therapists to tailor and personalize virtual scenarios to meet the specific needs of individual patients 49 , 50 . This promotes active and constructive learning where patients take an active role in developing their cognitive and social skills through IVR therapy.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An exploratory study of the effect of age and gender on face scanning during affect recognition in immersive virtual reality

González-Gualda,

Vicente-Querol,

García

et al. 2024

Sci Rep

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A person with impaired emotion recognition is not able to correctly identify facial expressions represented by other individuals. The aim of the present study is to assess eyes gaze and facial emotion recognition in a healthy population using dynamic avatars in immersive virtual reality (IVR). For the first time, the viewing of each area of interest of the face in IVR is studied by gender and age. This work in healthy people is conducted to assess the future usefulness of IVR in patients with deficits in the recognition of facial expressions. Seventy-four healthy volunteers participated in the study. The materials used were a laptop computer, a game controller, and a head-mounted display. Dynamic virtual faces randomly representing the six basic emotions plus neutral expression were used as stimuli. After the virtual human represented an emotion, a response panel was displayed with the seven possible options. Besides storing the hits and misses, the software program internally divided the faces into different areas of interest (AOIs) and recorded how long participants looked at each AOI. As regards the overall accuracy of the participants’ responses, hits decreased from the youngest to the middle-aged and older adults. Also, all three groups spent the highest percentage of time looking at the eyes, but younger adults had the highest percentage. It is also noteworthy that attention to the face compared to the background decreased with age. Moreover, the hits between women and men were remarkably similar and, in fact, there were no statistically significant differences between them. In general, men paid more attention to the eyes than women, but women paid more attention to the forehead and mouth. In contrast to previous work, our study indicates that there are no differences between men and women in facial emotion recognition. Moreover, in line with previous work, the percentage of face viewing time for younger adults is higher than for older adults. However, contrary to earlier studies, older adults look more at the eyes than at the mouth.Consistent with other studies, the eyes are the AOI with the highest percentage of viewing time. For men the most viewed AOI is the eyes for all emotions in both hits and misses. Women look more at the eyes for all emotions, except for joy, fear, and anger on hits. On misses, they look more into the eyes for almost all emotions except surprise and fear.

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Fully Immersive Virtual Reality-Based Cognitive Remediation for Adults with Psychosocial Disabilities: A Systematic Scoping Review of Methods Intervention Gaps and Meta-Analysis of Published Effectiveness Studies

Cited by 16 publications

References 86 publications

Crossing the digital frontier: are older adults ready for virtual reality workouts?

Crossing the digital frontier: are older adults ready for virtual reality workouts?

Virtual reality-based training may improve visual memory and some aspects of sustained attention among healthy older adults – preliminary results of a randomized controlled study

An exploratory study of the effect of age and gender on face scanning during affect recognition in immersive virtual reality

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