The following is a summary of “Virtual reality-based training may improve visual memory and some aspects of sustained attention among healthy older adults – preliminary results of a randomized controlled study,” published in the May 2024 issue of Psychiatry by Szczepocka et al.
As people age, cognitive decline can lead to significant economic and societal challenges due to care costs. New technologies like virtual reality (VR) offer potential non-drug interventions to enhance or maintain cognition.
Researchers conducted a prospective study assessing whether a VR-based Digital Therapeutics app can improve cognitive functions in healthy older adults.
They recruited 72 healthy seniors (aged 65-85) and randomly assigned them to either a VR-based cognitive training group or a VR-based control group. The cognitive training included tasks such as one-back and dual-N-back in 360-degree environments and music, and the control group was shown nature videos. The 12-week intervention involved 36 sessions, at least three times per week, and was tracked online. Mixed linear models were used to analyze pre- and post-intervention cognitive outcomes.
The results showed that users completed 39.8 sessions (ranging from 1 to 100), with 60% doing more than 36 sessions. The training group showed better visual memory (B= 7.767, P=0.011), and performance in the one-back task was better than that of the control group (correct responses: B=2.057, P=0.003, omission errors: B= -1.950, P=0.007). These differences were consistent regardless of sex, age, or education. Other cognitive measures did not show significant differences.
Investigators concluded that VR-based cognitive training shows promise for enhancing visual memory and sustaining attention in healthy older adults.
Source: bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-024-05811-2