The Feasibility of Using Virtual Reality and Eye Tracking in Research With Older Adults With and Without Alzheimer's Disease.

Rebecca Davis

doi:10.3389/fnagi.2021.607219

Abstract

Aim: To examine the feasibility of using large scale spatial, self-mobile, virtual reality, and eye tracking in older adults with and without Alzheimer's disease (AD).Methods: Older adults with early stage AD (n = 38) and a control group without AD (n = 50) were asked to find their way in a large, projected VR simulation of a retirement community repeatedly over 10 trials for each of 2 days, while wearing eye tracking glasses. Feasibility measures, including tolerance, side effects, and ability to complete the VR and eye tracking were collected. This study reports the analysis of the feasibility data for the VR and eye tracking and comparison of findings between the groups.Results: Over 80% of the subjects were able to complete the VR portion of the study. Only four subjects, all in the AD group, could not use the joystick and were excluded. Withdrawal rate (18%) was similar between the groups [X2(2) = 2.82, N = 88, p = 0.245] with most withdrawals occurring after the fourth trial. Simulation sickness was not significantly different between the groups. Only 60% of the subjects had completed eye tracking videos; more subjects in the AD group had complete eye tracking videos than the control group; X2(1) = 7.411, N = 88, p = 0.006. Eye tracking incompletion was primarily due to inability to calibration issues.Conclusion: Virtual reality testing and eye tracking can be used in older adults with and without AD in a large-scale way-finding task, but that there are some limitations.

Highlights

A major symptom of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is that individuals often become lost in both familiar or unfamiliar places, a symptom known as spatial disorientation (Caspi, 2014; Allison et al, 2016; Boccia et al, 2019)
Not surprisingly, groups differed with respect to cognition, with the mean Montreal Cognitive assessment score of 25.64 (SD 3.0) for the control group and 18.61 (SD 3.67) for the AD group; t = 10.85 (61), p < 0.0001, indicating cognitive impairment in the AD group
The results of this study provide evidence that projected virtual reality (VR) and eye tracking can be used in older adults with and without AD in a large-scale wayfinding task, but that there are some limitations

Summary

Introduction

A major symptom of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is that individuals often become lost in both familiar or unfamiliar places, a symptom known as spatial disorientation (Caspi, 2014; Allison et al, 2016; Boccia et al, 2019). Spatial disorientation is likely due to the detrimental effect of AD on brain areas such as the hippocampus and related structures, which are necessary for finding one’s way in an environment, an ability known as wayfinding (Allison et al, 2016). Studies have shown that spatial disorientation is an early, pre-symptomatic finding predictive of an individual developing AD (Konishi et al, 2018; Parizkova et al, 2018). Wayfinding has been shown to be affected by both the cognitive and physical abilities of the user, as well as qualities of the environment (Marquardt, 2011; Davis and Weisbeck, 2016).

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