Abstract
BackgroundCognitive decline is a significant public health concern in older adults. Identifying new ways to maintain cognitive and brain health throughout the lifespan is of utmost importance. Simultaneous exercise and cognitive engagement has been shown to enhance brain function in animal and human studies. Virtual reality (VR) may be a promising approach for conducting simultaneous exercise and cognitive studies. In this study, we evaluated the feasibility of cycling in a cognitively enriched and immersive spatial navigation VR environment in younger and older adults.MethodsA total of 20 younger (25.9 ± 3.7 years) and 20 older (63.6 ± 5.6 years) adults participated in this study. Participants completed four trials (2 learning and 2 recall) of cycling while wearing a head-mounted device (HMD) and navigating a VR park environment. Questionnaires were administered to assess adverse effects, mood, presence, and physical exertion levels associated with cycling in the VR environment.ResultsA total of 4 subjects withdrew from the study due to adverse effects, yielding a 90% completion rate. Simulator sickness levels were enhanced in both age groups with exposure to the VR environment but were within an acceptable range. Exposure to the virtual environment was associated with high arousal and low stress levels, suggesting a state of excitement, and most participants reported enjoyment of the spatial navigation task and VR environment. No association was found between physical exertion levels and simulator sickness levels.ConclusionThis study demonstrates that spatial navigation while cycling is feasible and that older adults report similar experiences to younger adults. VR may be a powerful tool for engaging physical and cognitive activity in older adults with acceptable adverse effects and with reports of enjoyment. Future studies are needed to assess the efficacy of a combined exercise and cognitive VR program as an intervention for promoting healthy brain aging, especially in older adults with increased risk of age-related cognitive decline.
Highlights
Cognitive decline in older adults is a significant public health issue
Simulator Sickness Simulator sickness as measured by the sickness questionnaire (SSQ) (Figure 2) was significantly affected by time (z = −3.43, p = 0.004, r = 0.38), such that symptoms were higher after Virtual reality (VR) exposure
Analysis of the SSQ subscales showed significant effects of time on symptoms within the subdomains of nausea (z = −4.32, p < 0.001, r = 0.48) and disorientation (z = −2.58, p = 0.04, r = 0.29), such that symptoms were higher after VR exposure (Figure 2)
Summary
Cognitive decline in older adults is a significant public health issue. Recent animal studies have shown that neurogenesis can be enhanced if exercise is combined with cognitive enrichment (Fabel et al, 2009). This has been supported in human studies in which higher cognitive performance was reported after combined physical and cognitive activity compared to either one alone (Lauenroth et al, 2016). Cognitive decline is a significant public health concern in older adults. Simultaneous exercise and cognitive engagement has been shown to enhance brain function in animal and human studies. We evaluated the feasibility of cycling in a cognitively enriched and immersive spatial navigation VR environment in younger and older adults
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