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Virtual Reality-Based Cognitive Training for Cognitive Function and Psychological Symptoms

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Mental Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 March 2023) | Viewed by 5119

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Occupational Therapy, Soonchunhyang University, Asan-Si 31538, Korea
Interests: mild cognitive impairment

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the past decade, virtual reality (VR)-based cognitive training has been highlighted as a promising and widely accessible intervention designed to target both cognitive and psychological symptoms with the development of VR technologies. The use of VR-based cognitive training, in healthy older people and also in a variety of diagnostic conditions including Alzheimer's disease, mild cognitive impairment, depression, and PTSD, alludes to the vast utility of this training. Some skeptics contend the clinical benefits of VR-based cognitive training are overstated. However, there is abundant evidence that VR-based cognitive training could lead to improvements in areas that are not directly designated by cognitive training, suggesting that VR-based cognitive training has transfer effects. The goal of this Special Issue is to present a collection of studies focusing on VR-based cognitive training with ecological validity. Specifically, we are soliciting papers that assess the use of VR-based cognitive training aimed at improving cognitive function or ameliorating psychological symptoms, seek to identify the mechanism of action of VR-based cognitive training, or explore VR-based cognitive training as an adjunctive treatment to other interventions.

  • Mild cognitive impairment
  • Alzheimer's disease
  • Mental health
  • Psychological symptoms
  • Depression
  • Virtual reality
  • Posttraumatic stress disorder
  • Neural substrates of cognitive improvements

Dr. Jin Hyuck Park
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • cognitive function
  • psychological symptoms
  • virtual reality
  • cognitive training

Published Papers (2 papers)

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8 pages, 470 KiB  
Article
Can the Virtual Reality-Based Spatial Memory Test Better Discriminate Mild Cognitive Impairment than Neuropsychological Assessment?
by Jin-Hyuck Park
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(16), 9950; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19169950 - 12 Aug 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1643
Abstract
Neuropsychological screening tools for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) have been widely used. However, to date, their sensitivity and specificity still remain unsatisfied. This study aims to investigate whether spatial memory can discriminate MCI better than neuropsychological screening tools. A total of 56 healthy [...] Read more.
Neuropsychological screening tools for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) have been widely used. However, to date, their sensitivity and specificity still remain unsatisfied. This study aims to investigate whether spatial memory can discriminate MCI better than neuropsychological screening tools. A total of 56 healthy older adults and 36 older adults with MCI participated in this study; they performed a spatial cognitive task based on virtual reality (SCT-VR), the Korean version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA-K), and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised Block Design Test (WAIS-BDT). The discriminant power was compared between the SCT-VR and the MoCA-K, and the reliability and validity of the SCT-VR were analyzed. The spatial memory, assessed by the SCT-VR, showed better sensitivity and specificity (sensitivity: 0.944; specificity: 0.964) than the MoCA-K (sensitivity: 0.857; specificity: 0.746). The test-retest reliability of the SCT-VR was relatively high (ICCs: 0.982, p < 0.001) and the concurrent validity of the SCT-VR with the MoCA-K (r = −0.587, p < 0.001) and the WAIS-BDT (r = −0.594, p < 0.001) was statistically significant. These findings shed light on the importance of spatial memory as a behavioral marker of MCI. The ecologically validated spatial memory tasks based on VR need to be investigated by neuroscientific studies in the future. Full article
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13 pages, 1728 KiB  
Systematic Review
A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Effectiveness of Virtual Reality-Based Rehabilitation Therapy on Reducing the Degree of Pain Experienced by Individuals with Low Back Pain
by Taeseok Choi, Seoyoon Heo, Wansuk Choi and Sangbin Lee
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(4), 3502; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20043502 - 16 Feb 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2875
Abstract
Background: The concept of virtual reality (VR)-based rehabilitation therapy for treating people with low back pain is of growing research interest. However, the effectiveness of such therapy for pain reduction in clinical settings remains controversial. Methods: The present study was conducted according to [...] Read more.
Background: The concept of virtual reality (VR)-based rehabilitation therapy for treating people with low back pain is of growing research interest. However, the effectiveness of such therapy for pain reduction in clinical settings remains controversial. Methods: The present study was conducted according to the reporting guidelines presented in the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses statement. We searched the PubMed, Embase, CENTRAL, and ProQuest databases for both published and unpublished papers. The Cochrane risk of bias tool (version 2) was used to evaluate the quality of the selected studies. GRADEprofiler software (version 3.6.4) was used to evaluate the level of evidence. We analyzed the included research results using RevMan software (version 5.4.1). Results: We included a total of 11 articles in the systematic review and meta-analysis, with a total of 1761 subjects. Having assessed the quality of these studies, the risk of bias was generally low with high heterogeneity. The results revealed a small to medium effect (standardized mean difference = ±0.37, 95% confidence interval: 0.75 to 0) based on evidence of moderate overall quality. Conclusion: There is evidence that treatment using VR improves patients’ pain. The effect size was small to medium, with the studies presenting evidence of moderate overall quality. VR-based treatment can reduce pain; therefore, it may help in rehabilitation therapy. Full article
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