Computerized eye-tracking training is associated with reduced depressive symptoms and improved attention in
Zihan Ding1, Helene H Fung2, Agnes S Chan1,3
1Neuropsychology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Objective:
Late-life mental health is a significant public health concern. This study investigated whether computerized eye-tracking training was associated with changes in mental health, inhibitory control, and attention in older adults.
Methods:
Fifty-nine community-dwelling older adults age ≥60 years were assigned to experimental (n = 29) and waitlist control (n = 30) groups, matched on baseline demographics, mental health, and cognitive function. The experimental group underwent 18 training sessions over 6 weeks, involving gaze-based tasks requiring fixating on stationary targets or tracking moving stimuli while inhibiting responses to distractors. Both groups completed pre- and post-assessments using standardized scales for depressive and anxiety symptoms and neuropsychological assessments of inhibitory control and attention.
Results:
The experimental group demonstrated significantly greater reduction in depressive symptoms and improvement in attention than the control group. Although the Group × Time interaction for anxiety symptoms was not significant, the experimental group showed significantly reduced anxiety symptoms and symptom severity. Similarly, inhibitory control improved in the experimental group but not the control group. Stepwise regression revealed that higher baseline depressive symptoms, poorer baseline inhibitory control, and enrolment in the experimental group were associated with larger reductions in depressive symptoms, while higher baseline anxiety symptom was associated with larger reductions in anxiety symptoms regardless of group.
Conclusion:
These preliminary findings suggested that computerized eye-tracking training was associated with improved mood and attention in older adults. Future studies with larger samples are needed to determine whether the observed trends in anxiety symptoms and inhibitory control reflect genuine intervention effects.
