Istituto di Sistemi e Tecnologie Industriali Intelligenti per il Manifatturiero Avanzato, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Lecco, Italy.
Dipartimento di Elettronica, Informatica e Bioingegneria, Politecnico di Milano, Milano, Italy.
J Alzheimers Dis. 2021;80(3):1025-1038. doi: 10.3233/JAD-201431.
Virtual reality (VR) has recently emerged as a promising means for the administration of cognitive training of seniors at risk of dementia. Immersive VR could result in increased engagement and performances; however, its acceptance in older adults with cognitive deficits still has to be assessed.
To assess acceptance and usability of an immersive VR environment requiring real walking and active participants' interaction.
58 seniors with mild cognitive impairment (MCI, n = 24) or subjective cognitive decline (SCD, n = 31) performed a shopping task in a virtual supermarket displayed through a head-mounted display. Subjective and objective outcomes were evaluated.
Immersive VR was well-accepted by all but one participant (TAM3 positive subscales > 5.33), irrespective of the extent of cognitive decline. Participants enjoyed the experience (spatial presence 3.51±0.50, engagement 3.85±0.68, naturalness 3.85±0.82) and reported negligible side-effects (SSQ: 3.74; q1-q3:0-16.83). The environment was considered extremely realistic, such as to induce potentially harmful behaviors: one participant fell while trying to lean on a virtual shelf. Older participants needed more time to conclude trials. Participants with MCI committed more errors in grocery items' selection and experienced less "perceived control" over the environment.
Immersive VR was acceptable and enjoyable for older adults in both groups. Cognitive deficits could induce risky behaviors, and cause issues in the interactions with virtual items. Further studies are needed to confirm acceptance of immersive VR in individuals at risk of dementia, and to extend the results to people with more severe symptoms.
虚拟现实（VR）最近成为一种有前途的方法，可以对有痴呆风险的老年人进行认知训练。沉浸式 VR 可以提高参与度和表现；然而，其在认知障碍老年人中的接受度仍有待评估。
评估需要真实行走和参与者主动互动的沉浸式 VR 环境的接受度和可用性。
58 名轻度认知障碍（MCI，n = 24）或主观认知下降（SCD，n = 31）的老年人通过头戴式显示器展示在虚拟超市中执行购物任务。评估了主观和客观结果。
沉浸式 VR 被所有参与者（TAM3 积极子量表>5.33）接受，无论认知程度如何。参与者享受体验（空间存在 3.51±0.50、参与度 3.85±0.68、自然度 3.85±0.82），报告副作用极小（SSQ：3.74；q1-q3：0-16.83）。环境被认为非常真实，以至于会引起潜在的危险行为：一名参与者在试图靠在虚拟货架上时摔倒了。年长的参与者需要更多的时间来完成试验。MCI 参与者在选择杂货项目时犯了更多的错误，并且对环境的“感知控制”较少。
沉浸式 VR 对两组老年人来说都是可接受和愉快的。认知缺陷可能会导致危险行为，并导致与虚拟物品的交互出现问题。需要进一步的研究来确认沉浸式 VR 在有痴呆风险的个体中的接受度，并将结果扩展到症状更严重的人群。
