A Feasibility Study with Image-Based Rendered Virtual Reality in Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia

Abstract

Virtual Reality (VR) has emerged as a promising tool in many domains of therapy and rehabilitation, and has recently attracted the attention of researchers and clinicians working with elderly people with MCI, Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders. Here we present a study testing the feasibility of using highly realistic image-based rendered VR with patients with MCI and dementia. We designed an attentional task to train selective and sustained attention, and we tested a VR and a paper version of this task in a single-session within-subjects design. Results showed that participants with MCI and dementia reported to be highly satisfied and interested in the task, and they reported high feelings of security, low discomfort, anxiety and fatigue. In addition, participants reported a preference for the VR condition compared to the paper condition, even if the task was more difficult. Interestingly, apathetic participants showed a preference for the VR condition stronger than that of non-apathetic participants. These findings suggest that VR-based training can be considered as an interesting tool to improve adherence to cognitive training in elderly people with cognitive impairment.

A Mini-Review of Virtual Reality-Based Interventions to Promote Well-Being for People Living with Dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment

“…The same image-based rendering technique was used in an immersive study of people with MCI ( n = 28) and dementia ( n = 29) [24]. Image-based rendering refers to the computerized reconstruction of a real environment, in this case a location familiar to the participants in the city of Nice (France), using a set of photographs.…”

Use of immersive virtual reality to assess episodic memory: A validation study in older adults

“…The motivation level of older adults, which was measured with a homemade questionnaire, was found to be larger for the VR than for the non-VR version of the task, although the difference was non-significant. Using the same motivation questionnaire, Manera et al (2016) reported that older adults with mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's disease actually experienced higher levels of satisfaction and security, and lower levels of anxiety, discomfort, and fatigue, during a highly realistic image-based VR cancellation task than during its paper-pencil version . Thus, both studies reported that older adults experience a higher level of motivation for the VR rather than the non-VR version of the same tasks.…”

Virtual Reality in Non-Communicable diseases

“…Type 2 DM starts with insulin opposition, a condition in which cells neglect to react to insulin properly. [2] As the sickness advances, an absence of insulin may likewise develop. This structure was recently alluded to as "non-insulin-subordinate diabetes mellitus" (NIDDM) or "grown-up beginning diabetes".…”

“…In this way it is critical to duplicate the present outcomes with a greater and progressively adjusted members' example. [2]…”