“CityQuest,” A Custom-Designed Serious Game, Enhances Spatial Memory Performance in Older Adults

Niamh A Merriman,Eugenie Roudaia,Ivan Orvieto,Jan Ondřej,Fiona N Newell,Carol O’Sullivan,Matteo Romagnoli

doi:10.3389/fnagi.2022.806418

Niamh A Merriman, Eugenie Roudaia + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2022.806418

Copy DOI

Abstract

Spatial cognition is known to decline with aging. However, little is known about whether training can reduce or eliminate age-related deficits in spatial memory. We investigated whether a custom-designed video game involving spatial navigation, obstacle avoidance, and balance control would improve spatial memory in older adults. Specifically, 56 healthy adults aged 65 to 84 years received 10 sessions of multicomponent video game training, based on a virtual cityscape, over 5 weeks. Participants were allocated to one of three training conditions: the main intervention, the “CityQuest” group (n = 19), and two control groups, spatial navigation without obstacle avoidance (“Spatial Navigation-only” group, n = 21) and obstacle avoidance without spatial navigation (“Obstacles-only” group, n = 15). Performance on object recognition, egocentric and allocentric spatial memory (incorporating direction judgment tasks and landmark location tasks, respectively), navigation strategy preference, and executive functioning was assessed in pre- and post-intervention sessions. The results showed an overall benefit on performance in a number of spatial memory measures and executive function for participants who received spatial navigation training, particularly the CityQuest group, who also showed significant improvement on the landmark location task. However, there was no evidence of a shift from egocentric to allocentric strategy preference. We conclude that spatial memory in healthy older participants is amenable to improvement with training over a short term. Moreover, technology based on age-appropriate, multicomponent video games may play a key role in cognitive training in older adults.

Highlights

Spatial navigation, the ability to find our way between locations in an environment, is a complex cognitive function
As the CityQuest condition is a complex, multitask training condition, we anticipated that training on this condition would significantly improve performance on executive function typically measured using the Trail Making Test (TMT)
We found that while all participants slightly improved on the TMT following training, the performance of the CityQuest group significantly improved from pre- to post-assessment

Summary

Introduction

The ability to find our way between locations in an environment, is a complex cognitive function. Spatial navigation abilities have been shown to deteriorate as we age, often resulting in older adults avoiding unfamiliar environments which can, in turn, impact negatively on quality of life (Burns, 1999). It is widely accepted that older adults show impairments in allocentric processing and, to some extent, egocentric processing during spatial navigation tasks (Moffat, 2009; Klencklen et al, 2012; Lithfous et al, 2013; Colombo et al, 2017; Lester et al, 2017). Corresponding with declines in spatial abilities, older adults show reduced volume in the hippocampus and caudate nucleus (Raz et al, 2003; Raz and Rodrigue, 2006) which are key brain areas involved in allocentric and egocentric strategies, respectively

Objectives

Results

Discussion

Conclusion