Development of a new cognitive-function test based on mixed reality for the assessment of cognitive impairment

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K19363
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 59010:Rehabilitation science-related
• Research Institution: Kansai Medical University
• Principal Investigator: TAGUCHI Meguru 関西医科大学, 医学部, 助教 (40786191)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: Mixed Reality / 認知機能課題 / 認知機能評価

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Because the planned longitudinal study was difficult due to COVID-19, the study design was changed to a cross-sectional evaluation. Mixed Reality (MR) based cognitive tasks (cancellation task and flower-pick up task) were performed by 35 community-dwelling older adults, and their correlations with conventional neuropsychological tests were evaluated. The results showed that the time required to complete the MR cancellation task was significantly correlated with the time required for TMT-A. In my previous study of elderly hospitalized patients after general anesthesia, the time required to complete the MR-cancellation task correlated with the time required for the TMT-B. These results suggest that the same MR-cancellation task requires different cognitive functions due to the strain on cognitive functions caused by, for example, hospitalization or surgery.

Free Research Field

リハビリテーション医学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

認知機能低下に対する早期発見の成否において、3次元空間である実生活での認知機能を反映し、課題に対する被検者の関心を高めることでスクリーニング検査の実施を容易とする新たな認知課題の開発が望まれる。本研究では、共同開発したMR認知課題が地域在住高齢者において従来の神経心理学的検査と相関することが明らかとなった。また、同様のMR認知機能課題でも、入院および全身麻酔手術後の高齢者では異なる認知機能を要していることが示唆され、新たなMR認知課題の特性が考えられた。