Cognitive and motor effects of the immersive virtual reality in older people with mild neurocognitive impairment

To analyze the effects of an immersive virtual reality with commercial games on cognition and upper limb functions in older people with MNI. 

This study presents a partial analysis of the results obtained from a convenience sample of participants who underwent the intervention with IVR in the double-blind, randomized clinical trial titled "The Cognitive and Motor Effects of Immersive Virtual Reality in Older People with Neurocognitive Impairment". People aged 60 years or older diagnosed with MNI were included. The interventions were carried out at the Movement Study Laboratory of the Institute of Orthopedics and Traumatology of the Hospital das Clínicas de São Paulo. The Oculus Quest 2 Advanced 128Gb VR Headset was used, attached, and adjusted to the participant's head with a BoboVR M2 Pro adapter. Participants underwent an intervention protocol twice a week, with each session lasting 45 minutes, over a period of seven weeks. Assessments were carried out before and after intervention using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Handgrip (HG) and Box and Block test (B&B). 

Eight participants were evaluated using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), revealing an overall improvement of 8.8% in total scores. Significant increases were observed in several domains: abstraction (117.3%), delayed recall (66.7%), language (15.3%), and attention (9.5%). However, reductions were noted in the visuospatial (9.5%) and orientation (2.3%) domains, with no changes in the naming score. Individual analysis showed that two participants had a change of 4 points, two had a change of 3 points, two had a change of 1 point, one participant had a decrease of 1 point, and another had a reduction of 2 points. Regarding upper limb function, there was an improvement of 2.0 Kgf on the HG and an increase of 1 block on the B&B after the intervention.

The IVR intervention, utilizing commercial games, improved cognition and upper limb function in older people with MNI.

IVR presents an innovative intervention by integrating cognitive and motor stimuli with potential to slow the progression of the MNI. The use of commercial games enhances the economic viability of this method. Furthermore, the ability to personalize therapy ensures that activities can be tailored to meet each patient's specific needs, thereby increasing the overall effectiveness of the intervention.