Association Between Cognitive Function and Spatial-Temporal Measures of Gait and Balance When Navigating a Virtual...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Gerontology
• Human Computer Interaction

Background:

• Spatial navigation is a key indicator of cognitive impairment.
• Traditional Floor Maze Tests (FMT) assess navigation but lack immersive qualities.
• Virtual Reality Floor Maze Tests (VR-FMT) offer enhanced 3D navigation environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce novel performance metrics from spatial-temporal gait and balance during VR-FMT.
• To investigate the association between these new gait/balance metrics and cognitive scores in individuals with probable dementia.
• To evaluate the utility of VR-FMT with varying wall heights in assessing cognitive function.

Main Methods:

• Sixty-five older adults with probable dementia completed VR-FMT with two wall conditions: no walls (2 cm) and high walls (2 m).
• Spatial-temporal gait and balance parameters were recorded during navigation.
• Data were analyzed for correlations with cognitive scores, including attention, executive function, and auditory memory.

Main Results:

• In the no-wall condition, gait and balance parameters correlated with attention and executive function scores.
• In the wall condition, gait parameters additionally correlated with auditory memory scores.
• These findings suggest gait and balance metrics provide valuable cognitive information beyond simple maze completion time.

Conclusions:

• Spatial-temporal gait and balance parameters during VR-FMT are significant indicators of cognitive function in probable dementia.
• VR-FMT, particularly with wall conditions, shows promise for identifying early-stage memory impairments.
• This study highlights the potential of immersive technologies to reveal subtle cognitive deficits through detailed movement analysis.