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Use of Immersive Virtual Reality in the Assessment and Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease: A Systematic Review.

Published version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Clay, Felix 
Howett, David 
FitzGerald, James 
Chan, Dennis 

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Immersive virtual reality (iVR) allows seamless interaction with simulated environments and is becoming an established tool in clinical research. It is unclear whether iVR is acceptable to people with Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia or useful in their care. We explore whether iVR is a viable research tool that may aid the detection and treatment of AD. OBJECTIVES: This review examines the use of iVR in people with AD or mild cognitive impairment (MCI). METHODS: Medline, PsycINFO, Embase, CINAHL, and Web of Science databases were searched from inception. PRISMA guidelines were used with studies selected by at least two researchers. RESULTS: Nine studies were eligible for inclusion. None reported any issues with iVR tolerability in participants with MCI and AD on assessment or treatment tasks. One study demonstrated capability for detecting prodromal AD and correlated with neuroanatomical substrates. Two studies showed iVR to have high accuracy in differentiating participants with AD from controls but were not hypothesis driven or with adequate controls measures. In a small validation study and two longitudinal case studies, iVR cognitive training was positively rated but did not demonstrate reliable benefit. CONCLUSION: iVR is emerging as a viable method of assessing older adults and people with AD. Strongest benefits were seen when closely integrated with theoretical models of neurodegeneration and existing screening methods. Further randomized controlled trials integrated with clinical populations are required. This will consolidate the power of iVR for assessment of MCI and clarify treatment efficacy beyond current applications in physical rehabilitation.

Description

Keywords

Alzheimer’s disease, cognitive remediation, mild cognitive impairment, spatial navigation, virtual reality, Alzheimer Disease, Cognitive Dysfunction, Cognitive Remediation, Disease Progression, Humans, Spatial Navigation, Virtual Reality

Journal Title

J Alzheimers Dis

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

1387-2877
1875-8908

Volume Title

75

Publisher

IOS Press