Virtual Reality-Based Cognitive Stimulation to Improve Cognitive Functioning in Community Elderly: A Controlled Study

Abstract

The advantages of using naturalistic virtual reality (VR) environments based on everyday life tasks for cognitive intervention in the elderly are not yet well understood. The literature suggests that the similarity of such exercises with real life activities may improve generalizability by extending the transfer of gains of training to everyday living. This study aimed to investigate the gains associated with this ecologically-oriented virtual reality cognitive stimulation (VR-CS) versus standard cognitive stimulation in the elderly. Forty-three healthy older adults were divided into two groups: an experimental group underwent a VR-based cognitive stimulation and an active control group underwent a paper-and-pencil cognitive stimulation. The outcomes assessed at the pre-treatment and posttreatment assessment consisted in well-established tests for cognitive and executive functioning, depression, subjective well-being, and functionality. The results showed positive outcomes on dimensions of general cognition, executive functioning, attention, and visual memory in the group that underwent VR-CS. Improvements in executive functioning in this group was supported by consistent evidence of increases in attention abilities but little evidence of increases in memory abilities. Both effects may have contributed to improvements in general cognition. Further studies are needed to test whether these effects may extend to well-being and functionality in cognitively impaired older adults.

Ambient assisted living technology‐mediated interventions for older people and their informal carers in the context of healthy ageing: A scoping review

“…87 4.7 | Training and maintenance of cognitive ability 9% (n = 8) of included studies described interventions aiming to improve or preserve cognitive skills and functions and reduce depressive symptoms among older people. [89][90][91][92][93][94][95][96] The interventions used mobile, web-based or virtual reality gaming software, [89][90][91][92]95 wearable and monitoring sensors, 94 a web-based app, 93 and an exercise robot. 96 The system in Lazarou et al 94 also included a caregiver interface for sharing information.…”

Virtual Reality for Neurorehabilitation and Cognitive Enhancement

“…The interaction between the human mind and virtual realities has been demonstrated to improve cognitive functions [17][18][19][20][21][22]. Biologically, this effect cannot be achieved without the activation of some forms of neural plasticity, such as strengthening or attenuation of synaptic transmission [23], remodeling of synaptic connections [24], reshaping of dendritic spines [25][26][27][28], reorganization of neuronal morphology [29][30][31], or modulation of electric excitability [32][33][34].…”

Cognitive training in fully immersive virtual reality improves visuospatial function and fronto-occipital functional connectivity in a pre-dementia state: A randomized controlled trial

“…Neuropsychological test score improvements after traditional pen-and-paper or computerized cognitive training have been found in measures of global composite cognition [40][41][42], verbal memory [11,40,43,44], verbal letter uency [40,41], verbal uency, [45,46], and visuospatial function in the clock-drawing test [40,47]. It has also been reported that VR cognitive training was effective in improving frontal executive function in those with MCI [48], as well as attention and visual memory in older adults [49,50]. In line with these previous studies, our results also showed that multidomain cognitive training in a virtual environment was effective in improving language, visuospatial function, memory (immediate/delayed recall), and frontal executive function compared to pre-training baseline values, but a group difference was found only for visuospatial function.…”

“…In recent studies with VR evaluation, investigators were able to effectively differentiate between the navigational [53] and visuospatial de cits seen in MCI patients from healthy older adults [54,55]. In studies with VR intervention, authors have found that VR cognitive training was effective [49,56] or ineffective [50,57] in improving visuospatial function in older adults or those in the early stage of dementia. We believe that the cognitive training performed in the maximally immersive environment with the head-mounted display, headphones, and hand movement trackers in our study might have increased visuospatial functioning in those in the pre-stage of dementia [58].…”

“…We believe that the cognitive training performed in the maximally immersive environment with the head-mounted display, headphones, and hand movement trackers in our study might have increased visuospatial functioning in those in the pre-stage of dementia [58]. The immersion methods utilized in previous studies investigating VR cognitive training in older adults employed desktop-based systems [49,50], screen and sensors [56], screen and glasses [59,60], and head-mounted display and xed joystick set-ups [57]. Although heterogeneity in study populations and methodological differences between prior studies have resulted in inconsistent ndings, the present study provides further evidence to support the bene ts of VR cognitive training in eliciting improvements in visuospatial processing through the repeated presentation of real-world, dynamic, multisensory, and interactive environments.…”