Evaluation of the Reaction Time and Accuracy Rate in Normal Subjects, MCI, and Dementia Using Serious Games

Abstract

The main purpose of this research is to evaluate the differences in the reaction time and accuracy rate of three categories of subjects using our serious games. Thirty-seven subjects were divided into three groups: normal (n1 = 16), MCI (Mild Cognitive Impairment) (n2 = 10), and dementia—moderate-to-severe (n3 = 11) groups based on the MMSE (Mini Mental State Examination). Two serious games were designed: (1) whack-a-mole and (2) hit-the-ball. Two dependent variables, reaction time and accuracy rate, were statistically analyzed to compare elders’ performances in the games among the three groups for three levels of speed: slow, medium, and fast. There were significance differences between the normal group, the MCI group, and the moderate-to-severe dementia group in both the reaction-time and accuracy-rate analyses. We determined that the reaction times of the MCI and dementia groups were shorter compared to those of the normal group, with poorer results also observed in accuracy rate. Therefore, we conclude that our serious games have the feasibility to evaluate reaction performance and could be used in the daily lives of elders followed by clinical treatment in the future.

fMRI Investigation of Semantic Lexical Processing in Healthy Control and Alzheimer’s Disease Subjects Using Naming Task: A Preliminary Study

“…The further classification of clinical manifestations and sub-items of semantic tests is worth discussing. Additionally, there are currently some studies focusing on the clinical evaluation of serious games for cognitive function as our primary project [5]. The work to assess other cognitive abilities is primarily based on the instruments in MoCA for the elderly, especially those with Alzheimer's disease.…”

“…It affects memory, language, thinking, orientation, comprehension, calculation, learning capacity, and judgment [4]. In our previous study, we investigated the physiological responses of Healthy Control (HC) and AD patients by playing games that we had developed to evaluate reaction time and accuracy [5]. In the present study, we applied magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)/functional MRI (fMRI) techniques to observe the neural activity among HC and AD subjects using a naming task that we designed to extract semantic-lexical processing.…”

Analysis of Heart Rate Variability in Response to Serious Games in Elderly People

“…Whack-a-Mole and Hit-the-Ball are reaction time games, used to test a subject’s accuracy and reaction time [ 25 ]. They were designed to gradually get faster and more difficult for the subject to react to the games’ stimuli as time passes.…”

Analysis of Heart Rate Variability and Game Performance in Normal and Cognitively Impaired Elderly Subjects Using Serious Games

“…Whack-a-Mole was played first, then Hit-the-Ball. These two games were used to test the subjects' reaction time and processing speed [28]. For Whack-a-Mole, the subjects have to hit the correct hole where the mole pops up, as shown in Figure 3.…”

“…In this study, we wanted to investigate if there are significant difference in the ANS activity between cognitively normal and cognitively impaired elderly subjects as they play serious games through their measured HRV. These serious games were designed for the elderly, one game for testing the cognitive aptitude and two games testing their processing speed and reaction time [27,28]. The purpose of investigating the HRV response is to know how these serious games affect elderly people of different cognitive status.…”