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Guglietti B, Hobbs DA, Wesson B, Ellul B, McNamara A, Drum S, Collins-Praino LE. Development and Co-design of NeuroOrb: A Novel “Serious Gaming” System Targeting Cognitive Impairment in Parkinson’s Disease. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 14:728212. [PMID: 35422697 PMCID: PMC9002613 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.728212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Whilst Parkinson’s disease (PD) is typically thought of as a motor disease, a significant number of individuals also experience cognitive impairment (CI), ranging from mild-CI to dementia. One technique that may prove effective in delaying the onset of CI in PD is cognitive training (CT); however, evidence to date is variable. This may be due to the implementation of CT in this population, with the motor impairments of PD potentially hampering the ability to use standard equipment, such as pen-and-paper or a computer mouse. This may, in turn, promote negative attitudes toward the CT paradigm, which may correlate with poorer outcomes. Consequently, optimizing a system for the delivery of CT in the PD population may improve the accessibility of and engagement with the CT paradigm, subsequently leading to better outcomes. To achieve this, the NeuroOrb Gaming System was designed, coupling a novel accessible controller, specifically developed for use with people with motor impairments, with a “Serious Games” software suite, custom-designed to target the cognitive domains typically affected in PD. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the usability of the NeuroOrb through a reiterative co-design process, in order to optimize the system for future use in clinical trials of CT in individuals with PD. Individuals with PD (n = 13; mean age = 68.15 years; mean disease duration = 8 years) were recruited from the community and participated in three co-design loops. After implementation of key stakeholder feedback to make significant modifications to the system, system usability was improved and participant attitudes toward the NeuroOrb were very positive. Taken together, this provides rationale for moving forward with a future clinical trial investigating the utility of the NeuroOrb as a tool to deliver CT in PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bianca Guglietti
- Cognition, Ageing and Neurodegenerative Disease Laboratory, School of Biomedicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - David A. Hobbs
- Medical Device Research Institute, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Tonsley, SA, Australia
- Allied Health and Human Performance, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Bradley Wesson
- Medical Device Research Institute, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Tonsley, SA, Australia
| | - Benjamin Ellul
- Cognition, Ageing and Neurodegenerative Disease Laboratory, School of Biomedicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Angus McNamara
- Cognition, Ageing and Neurodegenerative Disease Laboratory, School of Biomedicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Simon Drum
- College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA, Australia
| | - Lyndsey E. Collins-Praino
- Cognition, Ageing and Neurodegenerative Disease Laboratory, School of Biomedicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
- *Correspondence: Lyndsey E. Collins-Praino,
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Guglietti B, Hobbs D, Collins-Praino LE. Optimizing Cognitive Training for the Treatment of Cognitive Dysfunction in Parkinson's Disease: Current Limitations and Future Directions. Front Aging Neurosci 2021; 13:709484. [PMID: 34720988 PMCID: PMC8549481 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2021.709484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Cognitive dysfunction, primarily involving impairments in executive function, visuospatial function and memory, is one of the most common non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Currently, the only pharmacological treatments available for the treatment of cognitive dysfunction in PD provide variable benefit, making the search for potential non-pharmacological therapies to improve cognitive function of significant interest. One such therapeutic strategy may be cognitive training (CT), which involves the repetition of standardized tasks with the aim of improving specific aspects of cognition. Several studies have examined the effects of CT in individuals with PD and have shown benefits in a variety of cognitive domains, but the widespread use of CT in these individuals may be limited by motor impairments and other concerns in study design. Here, we discuss the current state of the literature on the use of CT for PD and propose recommendations for future implementation. We also explore the potential use of more recent integrative, adaptive and assistive technologies, such as virtual reality, which may optimize the delivery of CT in PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bianca Guglietti
- Cognition, Ageing and Neurodegenerative Disease Laboratory, Department of Medical Sciences, Adelaide Medical School, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - David Hobbs
- Medical Device Research Institute, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Tonsley, SA, Australia.,Allied Health & Human Performance, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Lyndsey E Collins-Praino
- Cognition, Ageing and Neurodegenerative Disease Laboratory, Department of Medical Sciences, Adelaide Medical School, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
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Samhan AF, Abdelhalim NM, Elnaggar RK. Effects of interactive robot-enhanced hand rehabilitation in treatment of paediatric hand-burns: A randomized, controlled trial with 3-months follow-up. Burns 2020; 46:1347-1355. [DOI: 10.1016/j.burns.2020.01.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2019] [Revised: 01/24/2020] [Accepted: 01/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Khalili-Mahani N, De Schutter B. Affective Game Planning for Health Applications: Quantitative Extension of Gerontoludic Design Based on the Appraisal Theory of Stress and Coping. JMIR Serious Games 2019; 7:e13303. [PMID: 31172966 PMCID: PMC6592517 DOI: 10.2196/13303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2019] [Revised: 04/06/2019] [Accepted: 04/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
User retention is the first challenge in introducing any information and communication technologies (ICT) for health applications, particularly for seniors who are increasingly targeted as beneficiaries of such technologies. Interaction with digital technologies may be too stressful to older adults to guarantee their adoption in their routine selfcare. The second challenge, which also relates to adoption, is to supply empirical evidence that support the expectations of their beneficial outcomes. To address the first challenge, persuasive technologies such as serious games (SGs) are increasingly promoted as ludic approaches to deliver assistive care to older adults. However, there are no standards yet to assess the efficacy of different genres of games across populations, or compare and contrast variations in health outcomes arising from user interface design and user experience. For the past 3 decades, research has focused either on qualitative assessment of the appeal of digital games for seniors (by game designers) or on the quantitative evaluation of their clinical efficacy (by clinical researchers). The consensus is that interindividual differences play a key role in whether games can be useful or not for different individuals. Our challenge is to design SGs that retain their users long enough to sustain beneficial transfer effects. We propose to add a neuropsychological experimental framework (based on the appraisal theory of stress and coping) to a Gerontoludic design framework (that emphasizes designing positive and meaningful gaming experience over benefit-centric ones) in order to capture data to guide SG game development. Affective Game Planning for Health Applications (AGPHA) adds a model-driven mixed-methods experimental stage to a user-centered mechanics-dynamics-aesthetics game-design cycle. This intersectoral framework is inspired by latest trends in the fields of neuroimaging and neuroinformatics that grapple with similar challenges related to the psychobiological context of an individual's behaviors. AGPHA aims to bring users, designers, clinicians, and researchers together to generate a common data repository that consists of 4 components to define, design, evaluate, and document SGs. By unifying efforts under a standard approach, we will accelerate innovations in persuasive and efficacious ICTs for the aging population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Najmeh Khalili-Mahani
- PERFORM Centre, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada.,McGill Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Department of Design and Computation Arts, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Bob De Schutter
- Armstrong Institute for Interactive Media Studies, Miami University, Oxford, OH, United States
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Pergher V, Shalchy MA, Pahor A, Van Hulle MM, Jaeggi SM, Seitz AR. Divergent Research Methods Limit Understanding of Working Memory Training. JOURNAL OF COGNITIVE ENHANCEMENT 2019; 4:100-120. [PMID: 34355115 DOI: 10.1007/s41465-019-00134-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Working memory training has been a hot topic over the last decade. Although studies show benefits in trained and untrained tasks as a function of training, there is an ongoing debate on the efficacy of working memory training. There have been numerous meta-analyses put forth to the field, some finding overall broad transfer effects while others do not. However, discussion of this research typically overlooks specific qualities of the training and transfer tasks. As such, there has been next to no discussion in the literature on what training and transfer tasks features are likely to mediate training outcomes. To address this gap, here, we characterized the broad diversity of features employed in N-back training tasks and outcome measures in published working memory training studies. Extant meta-analyses have not taken into account the diversity of methodology at this level, primarily because there are too few studies using common methods to allow for a robust meta-analysis. We suggest that these limitations preclude strong conclusions from published data. In order to advance research on working memory training, and in particular, N-back training, more studies are needed that systematically compare training features and use common outcome measures to assess transfer effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Pergher
- Department of Neurosciences, Laboratory for Neuro- and Psychophysiology, KU Leuven-University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Anja Pahor
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Marc M Van Hulle
- Department of Neurosciences, Laboratory for Neuro- and Psychophysiology, KU Leuven-University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Susanne M Jaeggi
- School of Education, School of Social Sciences, Department of Cognitive Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Aaron R Seitz
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA.,School of Education, School of Social Sciences, Department of Cognitive Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
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Rosell J. Cognitive stimulation for healthy older adults through computer-based programs: a review of the literature / Estimulación cognitiva para personas mayores sanas mediante programas computarizados: una revisión de la literatura. STUDIES IN PSYCHOLOGY 2018. [DOI: 10.1080/02109395.2018.1494678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022] Open
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