Postmenopausal women's cognitive function and performance of virtual reality tasks

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Virtual reality (VR) technology offers immersive experiences with potential applications in cognitive assessment and rehabilitation.
• Understanding factors influencing VR task performance is crucial for optimizing its use, particularly in aging populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if prior computer use affects virtual reality task performance in postmenopausal women.
• To investigate the influence of menopausal symptoms, sociodemographic factors, lifestyle, and cognitive function on VR performance.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 152 postmenopausal women, categorized as computer users and non-users.
• Participants engaged in a VR game, with performance metrics including hits, errors, omissions, and game time.
• Statistical analyses included Mann-Whitney, chi-square, Fisher exact tests, and multivariate linear regression.

Main Results:

• Postmenopausal computer users demonstrated superior performance in VR tasks compared to non-users (p=0.005).
• Higher prevalence of vasomotor symptoms was observed in computer users (p=0.006).
• Multivariate analysis identified age (p=0.039), Mini-Mental State Examination score (p=0.006), and headache (p=0.021) as significant predictors of VR task performance.

Conclusions:

• Prior computer experience is associated with better VR task performance in postmenopausal women.
• Age and headache symptoms negatively impact VR performance, whereas vasomotor symptoms do not show a significant negative association.