Guglietti Bianca, Hobbs David A, Wesson Bradley, Ellul Benjamin, McNamara Angus, Drum Simon, Collins-Praino Lyndsey E
Cognition, Ageing and Neurodegenerative Disease Laboratory, School of Biomedicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
Medical Device Research Institute, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Tonsley, SA, Australia.
Front Aging Neurosci. 2022 Mar 29;14:728212. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.728212. eCollection 2022.
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 ( = 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.
虽然帕金森病（PD）通常被认为是一种运动疾病，但仍有相当一部分患者会出现认知障碍（CI），从轻度认知障碍到痴呆不等。认知训练（CT）可能是一种有效延缓帕金森病患者认知障碍发作的技术；然而，迄今为止的证据并不一致。这可能是由于在这一人群中实施认知训练时，帕金森病的运动障碍可能会妨碍使用标准设备的能力，如纸笔或电脑鼠标。这反过来可能会导致对认知训练模式产生负面态度，而这可能与较差的训练效果相关。因此，优化帕金森病患者认知训练的实施系统，可能会提高认知训练模式的可及性和参与度，进而带来更好的效果。为了实现这一目标，设计了NeuroOrb游戏系统，该系统将专门为有运动障碍的人开发的新型无障碍控制器与一套“严肃游戏”软件套件相结合，该软件套件是为针对帕金森病患者通常受影响的认知领域而定制设计的。本研究的目的是通过反复的协同设计过程评估NeuroOrb的可用性，以便为该系统在帕金森病患者认知训练临床试验中的未来应用进行优化。从社区招募了13名帕金森病患者（平均年龄 = 68.15岁；平均病程 = 8年），他们参与了三个协同设计循环。在实施关键利益相关者的反馈对系统进行重大修改后，系统的可用性得到了提高，参与者对NeuroOrb的态度非常积极。综上所述，这为推进未来的临床试验提供了理论依据，该试验将研究NeuroOrb作为一种在帕金森病患者中开展认知训练工具的效用。
