Does Practicing with a Virtual Reality Driving Simulator Improve Spatial Cognition in Older Adults? A Pilot Study
Memory, cognition, executive functioning, and spatial cognition loss are prevalent in the normal aging process, but these impairments are observed more extensively in individuals with dementia, specifically Alzheimer’s disease. To improve the impaired functions, serious games targeting the lost func...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SAGE Publishing
2020-10-01
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| Series: | Neuroscience Insights |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/2633105520967930 |
| _version_ | 1819009356489818112 |
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| author | Sogol Masoumzadeh Zahra Moussavi |
| author_facet | Sogol Masoumzadeh Zahra Moussavi |
| author_sort | Sogol Masoumzadeh |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Memory, cognition, executive functioning, and spatial cognition loss are prevalent in the normal aging process, but these impairments are observed more extensively in individuals with dementia, specifically Alzheimer’s disease. To improve the impaired functions, serious games targeting the lost functions are commonly developed and used in training programs. In this study, we designed a virtual reality driving simulator (VRDS) as a serious game with different difficulty levels for improving the spatial cognition; we evaluated it on 11 participants with different levels of dementia for two weeks, every day except weekends (10 sessions of practice in total) and 30 min/day. We assessed the participants’ spatial cognition before and after the intervention by an independent assessment (the VR replica of Morris Water test) and also by their performance playing the VRDS during the intervention. We also assessed the participants’ mood by a standard depression scale as well as their plausible experience of simulation sickness. The results showed significant improvement in Morris water test. The participants’ normalized correct trajectory (to find the target) was improved significantly by 44.4% at post-intervention with respect to baseline. Furthermore, on average, the participants progressed to higher (more challenging) levels of the game, and their spatial learning score increased throughout the sessions. Their mood also showed improvement with respect to baseline. Overall, the results hold promise for the designed VRDS as a mood-lifting and enhancing spatial skills serious game for older adults if it is played regularly. Trial Registry name: Investigating the Effect of Training with a Virtual Reality Driving Simulator URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04074655 Clinical Trials.gov ID: NCT04074655 |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T00:55:04Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c7e4c664a6294e88bee682466d4583de |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2633-1055 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T00:55:04Z |
| publishDate | 2020-10-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Neuroscience Insights |
| spelling | doaj.art-c7e4c664a6294e88bee682466d4583de2022-12-21T19:21:19ZengSAGE PublishingNeuroscience Insights2633-10552020-10-011510.1177/2633105520967930Does Practicing with a Virtual Reality Driving Simulator Improve Spatial Cognition in Older Adults? A Pilot StudySogol Masoumzadeh0Zahra Moussavi1Biomedical Engineering, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, CanadaElectrical and Computer Engineering, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, CanadaMemory, cognition, executive functioning, and spatial cognition loss are prevalent in the normal aging process, but these impairments are observed more extensively in individuals with dementia, specifically Alzheimer’s disease. To improve the impaired functions, serious games targeting the lost functions are commonly developed and used in training programs. In this study, we designed a virtual reality driving simulator (VRDS) as a serious game with different difficulty levels for improving the spatial cognition; we evaluated it on 11 participants with different levels of dementia for two weeks, every day except weekends (10 sessions of practice in total) and 30 min/day. We assessed the participants’ spatial cognition before and after the intervention by an independent assessment (the VR replica of Morris Water test) and also by their performance playing the VRDS during the intervention. We also assessed the participants’ mood by a standard depression scale as well as their plausible experience of simulation sickness. The results showed significant improvement in Morris water test. The participants’ normalized correct trajectory (to find the target) was improved significantly by 44.4% at post-intervention with respect to baseline. Furthermore, on average, the participants progressed to higher (more challenging) levels of the game, and their spatial learning score increased throughout the sessions. Their mood also showed improvement with respect to baseline. Overall, the results hold promise for the designed VRDS as a mood-lifting and enhancing spatial skills serious game for older adults if it is played regularly. Trial Registry name: Investigating the Effect of Training with a Virtual Reality Driving Simulator URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04074655 Clinical Trials.gov ID: NCT04074655https://doi.org/10.1177/2633105520967930 |
| spellingShingle | Sogol Masoumzadeh Zahra Moussavi Does Practicing with a Virtual Reality Driving Simulator Improve Spatial Cognition in Older Adults? A Pilot Study Neuroscience Insights |
| title | Does Practicing with a Virtual Reality Driving Simulator Improve Spatial Cognition in Older Adults? A Pilot Study |
| title_full | Does Practicing with a Virtual Reality Driving Simulator Improve Spatial Cognition in Older Adults? A Pilot Study |
| title_fullStr | Does Practicing with a Virtual Reality Driving Simulator Improve Spatial Cognition in Older Adults? A Pilot Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Does Practicing with a Virtual Reality Driving Simulator Improve Spatial Cognition in Older Adults? A Pilot Study |
| title_short | Does Practicing with a Virtual Reality Driving Simulator Improve Spatial Cognition in Older Adults? A Pilot Study |
| title_sort | does practicing with a virtual reality driving simulator improve spatial cognition in older adults a pilot study |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/2633105520967930 |
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