The capacity of virtual reality to impact on memory by recreating scenarios from the past has set on a course to playing a bigger role in dementia management as Agetech World reports.
Around 850,000 people are estimated to be living with dementia in the UK, and that figure is expected to rise as we live longer, with up to two millions cases expected by 2050.
The condition is characterised by memory loss, confusion, and personality and behavioural changes, which interfere with the person’s social and working life. Dementia is more common in people over 65, but it should not be considered a normal part of ageing.
There is currently no cure for dementia, but there are medicines and other treatments that can help with symptoms, such as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and memantine.
There are also a number of ways to improve patients’ quality of life – which is where VR is beginning to play a part.
Virtual realities
In 2019, a study demonstrated how VR could help even those with advanced dementia.
The research was led by Dr. Chee Siang (Jim) Ang, a senior lecturer from University of Kent, and used VR devices on eight patients who in a psychiatric facility.
These patients, who had an average age of 69, all suffered from various forms of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease and Huntington’s disease.
Each participant used a VR headset to visit five virtual locations: the countryside, a sandy beach, a rocky beach, a cathedral, and a forest. The patients got to choose their own environment.
The research team then monitored multiple 15-minute VR sessions and reviewed feedback from patients and their caregivers. Researchers found that some patients wanted to be in one environment repeatedly, while others wanted to explore more.
The team found that VR helped the participants recall old memories, by offering new stimuli that they could otherwise not attain due to illness or inaccessibility.
It also gave caregivers a way of learning more about the patients’ lives, which improved their social interactions, allowing for more holistic care.
Early detection
Also in 2019, research found that VR could also be used to detect Alzheimer’s disease, one of the more common forms of dementia, earlier than standard methods.
A study by the University of Cambridge developed and trialled a VR navigation test in patients at risk of developing dementia.
In the experiment, a patient uses a VR headset and undertakes a navigation test while walking within a simulated environment. Successful completion of the task requires intact functioning of the entorhinal cortex (the brain’s ‘mental sat-nav’), so the team hypothesised that patients with early Alzheimer’s disease would be disproportionately affected.
The team recruited 45 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), who typically exhibit memory impairment. However, while MCI can indicate early Alzheimer’s, it can also be caused by other conditions such as anxiety and even normal aging, meaning that establishing the cause of MCI is crucial for determining whether affected individuals are at risk of developing dementia.
The researchers took samples of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to look for biomarkers of underlying Alzheimer’s disease in the MCI patients, with 12 testing positive.
All of the patients with MCI performed worse on the navigation task than the healthy controls. Furthermore, MCI patients with positive CSF markers – indicating the presence of Alzheimer’s disease and placing them at risk of developing dementia – performed worse than those with negative CSF markers.
Building empathy
In 2019, Alzheimer’s Research UK launched a training resource aimed at bringing the experiences of dementia to life for carers.
The project, in collaboration with and Bournemouth University, uses virtual reality to help healthcare professionals improve their understanding of the symptoms and challenges of dementia, which in turn can help them develop better and more supportive relationships with people with the condition.
The Lived Experience of Dementia resource was designed to enhance empathy and increase understanding of some of the less well-known symptoms of dementia, allowing healthcare workers to experience the everyday challenges faced by people living with the condition through VR technology.
The resource was built around Alzheimer’s Research UK’s A Walk Through Dementia virtual reality app, which uses computer-generated environments and immersive video sequences to illustrate the symptoms and difficulties faced by people with dementia.
The resource allows the user to follow Anne, who has dementia, as she goes shopping, goes to the supermarket and makes a cup of tea at home, linking the challenges Anne faces to the user’s experiences in their working life.
Early findings showed that 82 per cent of users said the app had helped them learn more about the symptoms of dementia and 93 per cent had a greater insight into the challenges faced by people with dementia after using it.
