A Virtual Reality-Based Screening Test for Cognitive Impairment in Small Vessel Disease

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Cognitive Science
• Medical Technology

Background:

• Small vessel disease (SVD) poses a significant challenge in clinical settings due to the lack of practical tools for assessing cognitive impairment.
• Cognitive impairment associated with SVD requires effective and accessible assessment methods for timely diagnosis and management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of the Virtual Supermarket (VST), a novel tablet-based tool, in assessing cognitive functioning in patients with SVD.
• To compare cognitive performance between SVD patients with cognitive impairment (SVD-CI), cognitively normal SVD patients (SVD-CN), and healthy controls (HC) using the VST.

Main Methods:

• Administered the tablet-based VST application alongside traditional neuropsychological tests to assess memory, attention, executive function, visuospatial function, and language.
• Included participants with SVD-CI (N=32), SVD-CN (N=37), and age/education-matched HC (N=30) in the study.

Main Results:

• Found moderate correlations between VST variables (Duration, Correct Quantities) and visuospatial function/general cognitive status in SVD-CI patients.
• Observed moderate relationships between VST variables (Duration, Correct Money) and memory, executive functions, and visuospatial function in SVD-CN patients.
• The VST successfully discriminated between SVD-CI and HC with 81% accuracy, 78% sensitivity, and 84% specificity when using a combination of VST variables.

Conclusions:

• This study is the first to utilize the VST for evaluating cognitive functions in SVD patients with and without cognitive impairment.
• The VST demonstrates potential as a valuable screening tool for identifying cognitive impairment and differentiating SVD patients from healthy individuals.
• Further validation studies with larger sample sizes are recommended to confirm the VST's utility in clinical practice.