Faculty of Rehabilitation and Care, Seijoh University, 2-172 Fukinodai, Tokai, 476-8588, Aichi, Japan.
Faculty of Health Science, Suzuka University of Medical Science, Suzuka, Mie, Japan.
BMC Geriatr. 2024 May 8;24(1):410. doi: 10.1186/s12877-024-05011-3.
Residents in nursing homes are prone to cognitive decline affecting memory, visuospatial cognition, and executive functions. Cognitive decline can lead to dementia, necessitating prioritized intervention.
The current study aimed to investigate whether an intervention using a digital game was effective for preserving and improving the cognitive function of residents in nursing homes. An intervention study was conducted using a single-case AB design with multiple baselines. The participants in the study were five older adults aged 65 and over who do not play digital games regularly. The study ran for 15 weeks, including a baseline (phase A) and an intervention phase (phase B). Phase A had five baselines (5 to 9 weeks) with random participant assignment. In phase B, participants engaged in a digital game (Space Invaders) individually. Cognitive function was assessed as the outcome, measured using the Brain Assessment (performed on a tablet through the Internet) at 16 measurement points. Four of five participants (two female and two male) were included in the analysis, using visual inspection and Bayesian statistics with multi-level modeling.
Visual inspection of the graphs revealed cognitive function score improvements after the intervention for most layers in terms of memory of numbers, memory of words, mental rotation test (visuospatial ability), and total scores in the Brain Assessment. These effects were also significant in the analysis by multi-level modeling.
The results suggest that the use of digital games may be effective for preserving and improving cognitive function among residents of nursing home.
This study was registered in the University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN000048677; public title: Effect of a Digital Game Intervention for Cognitive Functions in Older People; registration date: August 30, 2022).
养老院的居民容易出现认知能力下降，影响记忆力、视空间认知和执行功能。认知能力下降可导致痴呆，需要优先干预。
本研究旨在探讨使用数字游戏干预是否对养老院居民的认知功能具有保持和改善作用。采用单病例 AB 设计，设置多个基线，进行干预研究。研究对象为 5 名 65 岁及以上、不经常玩数字游戏的老年人。研究持续 15 周，包括基线期（A 期）和干预期（B 期）。A 期有 5 个基线（5-9 周），参与者随机分配。B 期，参与者单独玩数字游戏（太空侵略者）。认知功能作为结果进行评估，使用 16 个测量点通过互联网在平板电脑上进行的 Brain Assessment 进行测量。采用视觉检查和贝叶斯统计多水平模型对 4 名（2 名女性，2 名男性）参与者进行分析。
从图表的直观观察来看，在干预后，大多数参与者在数字记忆、词汇记忆、心理旋转测试（视空间能力）和 Brain Assessment 总分方面的认知功能评分均有提高。多水平模型分析也表明这些效果具有统计学意义。
研究结果表明，数字游戏的使用可能对养老院居民的认知功能保持和改善有效。
本研究在大学医院医疗信息网临床试验注册中心（UMIN000048677；公开标题：数字游戏干预对老年人认知功能的影响；注册日期：2022 年 8 月 30 日）进行了注册。
