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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article

Front. Hum. Neurosci.
Sec. Brain Health and Clinical Neuroscience
Volume 18 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2024.1467697
This article is part of the Research Topic Exploring Evidence for Neurorehabilitation Advancements View all 17 articles

Effects of fully immersive virtual reality on cognitive function in patients with mild cognitive impairment: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Provisionally accepted
Jing Yu Jing Yu Jingru Song Jingru Song QIN SHEN QIN SHEN *
  • School of Nursing, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a prodromal stage of dementia. There is no specific medication to slow the progression of MCI. Recent studies have confirmed the positive effects of virtual reality (VR). However, the results are inconsistent due to different types of VR interventions, small sample sizes, and the varying quality of the literature. This study aimed to assess the effects of fully immersive VR on cognitive function in MCI patients. Methods: A systematic review of published literature was conducted using PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, SinoMed, CNKI, Wanfang, and VIP Database. The search period was from inception through March 2024. Eligible studies were randomized controlled trials evaluating the effects of fully immersive virtual reality training on cognitive function in MCI patients. Two investigators independently performed literature screening, data extraction, and quality assessment; a meta-analysis of the included literature was performed using RevMan 5.4. The Cochrane Risk of Bias tool was used to assess the methodological quality. Results: A total of 11 randomized controlled trials with 525 patients were included. The meta-analysis showed that fully immersive virtual reality training had significant effects on global cognitive function (MD=2.34, 95% CI [0.55, 4.12], P=0.01); (MD=0.93, 95% CI [0.30, 1.56], P<0.01), executive function (SMD=-0.60, 95% CI [-0.84, -0.35], P<0.01), and attention (MD=0.69, 95% CI [0.15, 1.23], P=0.01). Still, the difference in memory (SMD=0.27, 95% CI [-0.24, 0.78], P=0.30) was not statistically significant. Subgroup analyses showed that executive function could be improved only when the intervention duration was ≥40 hours. In contrast, excessive training (≥30 times) was counterproductive. Conclusion: Fully immersive virtual reality training improved cognitive functioning, executive functioning, and attention in MCI patients but was less effective in improving memory. Subgroup analysis suggests that fully immersive VR training must ensure sufficient intervention duration 2 while avoiding frequent interventions.

    Keywords: Fully immersive virtual reality, Mild Cognitive Impairment, Cognitive Function, Meta-analysis, Dementia

    Received: 20 Jul 2024; Accepted: 14 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Yu, Song and SHEN. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: QIN SHEN, School of Nursing, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.