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METHODS article

Front. Sports Act. Living
Sec. Sports Science, Technology and Engineering
Volume 6 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fspor.2024.1449699
This article is part of the Research Topic User-Centered Technology for Exercise Optimization in Older Adults View all 5 articles

The "FitBrain" Program: Implementing Exergaming & Dual-Task Exercise Programs in Outpatient Clinical Settings

Provisionally accepted
Ryan M Glatt Ryan M Glatt 1*Corwin Patis Corwin Patis 1Karen J Miller Karen J Miller 1David A Miller David A Miller 1,2,3Brendon Stubbs Brendon Stubbs 4,5Manuela Adcock Manuela Adcock 6,7Eleftheria Giannouli Eleftheria Giannouli 7Prabha Siddarth Prabha Siddarth 1,2
  • 1 Pacific Brain Health Center, Pacific Neuroscience Institute, Los Angeles, United States
  • 2 David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States
  • 3 John Wayne Cancer Institute, Santa Monica, California, United States
  • 4 Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, England, United Kingdom
  • 5 Center for Sports Science and University Sports, University of Vienna, Vienna, Vienna, Austria
  • 6 Dividat AG, Schindellegi, Switzerland
  • 7 Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zürich, Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland

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

    Dual-task training and exergaming interventions are increasingly recognized for their potential to enhance cognitive, physical, and mood outcomes among older adults and individuals with neurological conditions. Despite this, clinical and community programs that use these interventions are limited in availability. This paper presents the "FitBrain" program, an outpatient clinical model that combines dual-task and exergaming interventions to promote cognitive and physical health. We review the scientific rationale supporting these methods, detail the structure and methodology of the FitBrain program, and provide examples of session designs that integrate dual-tasking through exergaming. The paper also addresses implementation considerations, such as tailoring interventions to specific populations, ensuring user-centered design, and leveraging accessible technologies. We discuss key challenges, including limited research on programs utilizing multiple technologies and cost constraints, and propose directions for future research to refine best practices and evaluate the comparative effectiveness of multimodal versus singular interventions. This paper aims to inform clinicians and program developers on implementing dual-task and exergaming interventions within diverse clinical and community settings by offering a structured model and practical guidelines.

    Keywords: dual-task, exergaming, cognitive-motor dual-tasking, cognitive-motor training, Neurological, older adults, Rehabilitation, serious games

    Received: 15 Jun 2024; Accepted: 13 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Glatt, Patis, Miller, Miller, Stubbs, Adcock, Giannouli and Siddarth. 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: Ryan M Glatt, Pacific Brain Health Center, Pacific Neuroscience Institute, Los Angeles, United States

    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.