Investigating the Usability and Acute Effects of a Bedside Video Console to Prefrontal Cortical Activity Alterations: A Preclinical Study in Healthy Elderly

Abstract

Elderly people at risk of developing cognitive decline; e.g., following surgery, may benefit from structured, challenging, and repetitive cognitive video training. This study assessed usability and acute effects of a newly developed bedside console (COPHYCON). Fifteen healthy elderly individuals performed a one-time 80-min intervention, including cognitive video games aimed at improving awareness and selective attention. Perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use (Technology Acceptance Model) were assessed together with measures of the achieved game level, reaction times, (in-) correct responses during ALERT and SELECT game play. Further, prefrontal cortical involvement of the regional cerebral hemoglobin saturation (rS02%) assessed with functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) (n = 5) and EEG power (n = 10) was analyzed. All participants completed the study without any adverse events. Perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use (TAM scores range 1–7) of the system varied between 3.9 and 6.3. The game levels reached for awareness varied between 9 and 11 (initial score 8–10), for reaction speed between 439 and 469 ms, and for correct responses between 74.1 and 78.8%. The highest level for the selective attention games was 2 (initial score 1), where reaction speed varied between 439 and 469 ms, correct responses between 96.2 and 98.5%, respectively. The decrease of rS02% in the right prefrontal cortex during gameplay was significantly (p < 0.001) lower, compared to the left prefrontal cortex. Four participants yielded significant lower rS02% measures after exergaming with the ALERT games (p < 0.000), but not with the SELECT games. EEG recordings of theta power significantly decreased in the averaged ~0.25–0.75 time interval for the left prefrontal cortex sensor across the cognitive game levels between the ALERT 1 and SELECT 1, as well as between SELECT 1 and 2 games. Participants rated the usability of the COPHYCON training positively. Further results indicate that video gaming may be an effective measure to affect prefrontal cortical functioning in elderly. The results warrant a clinical explorative study investigating the feasibility of the COPHYCON in a clinical setting.

Exergame-Driven High-Intensity Interval Training in Untrained Community Dwelling Older Adults: A Formative One Group Quasi- Experimental Feasibility Trial

“…Acceptability and perceived usefulness of the training technology were evaluated with the TAM, which consists of a 15 item questionnaire evaluating participants’ perceived usefulness, ease of use, attitude toward using and behavioral intention to use (Davis, 1989; Knols et al, 2017) of the technology. Answers were recorded on a seven-point Likert scale ranging from ‘strongly disagree’ (rated as 1) to ‘strongly agree’ (rated as 7).…”

The Effects of Two Game Interaction Modes on Cortical Activation in Subjects of Different Ages: A Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study

“…For example, one experimental study reported that the combination of cognitive and sports rehabilitation training was more effective than either alone [13]. Further, mobile phone games have been reported to significantly alleviate cognitive decline [14]. Although several existing studies demonstrate the utility of mobile games as a means of cognitive function training, it is still necessary to investigate their rationality and influence of mobile phone games.…”

Age-Associated Capacity to Progress When Playing Cognitive Mobile Games: Ecological Retrospective Observational Study

“…Gamification of cognitive assessment and cognitive training have gained interest in the medical community [15] to increase patient participation and alleviate boredom. The potential of such cognitive mobile games to decelerate the cognitive decline associated with ageing has led to an increase in their use by patients and older adults [16].…”