Validation and comparison of virtual reality and 3D mobile games for cognitive assessment against ACE-III in 82 young participants

Abstract

Current medical and clinical ecosystem for dementia detection is inadequate for its early detection. Traditional cognitive assessments are introduced after cognitive impairment has begun to disrupt the real-world functioning of the person. Moreover, these tools are paper-pen based and fail to replicate the real-world situations wherein the person ultimately lives, acts and grows. The lack of tools for early detection of dementia, combined with absence of reliable pharmacological cure compound the problems associated with dementia diagnosis and care. Advancement of technology has facilitated early prediction of disease like cancer, diabetes, heart disease, but hardly any such translation has been observed for dementia or cognitive impairment. Given this background, we examine the potential of Virtual Reality (VR) and 3D Mobile-based goal-oriented games for cognitive assessment. We evaluate three games (2 in VR, one in mobile) among 82 young participants (aged 18–28 years) and compare and contrast the game-based results with their Addenbrooke Cognitive Examination (ACE-III) scores. Three main analysis methods are used: Correlative, Z-score and Regression analysis. Positive correlation was observed for ACE-III and game-based scores. Z-scores analysis revealed no difference between the two scores, and stronger statistical significance was found between game scores and cognitive health factors like age, smoking compared to ACE-III. Specific game performances also revealed about real-world traits of participants, like hand-use confusion and direction confusion. Results establish the plausibility of using goal-oriented games for more granular, time-based, and functional cognitive assessment.