Virtual Reality based Mindfulness Training, Sensory Activation and Mental Assessment in Dementia Care,

Background Recent studies underline the importance of cognitive reserve, which is supported by stress reduction, pleasure experience and meditation, for mental health. Mindfulness training is successfully applied to dementia and indicate a lasting positive effect on cognitive reserve, well-being and motivation. The research project OpenSense investigated the potential of VR-based intervention and assessment for dementia care in a proof-of concept study. The VR-based intervention was developed to foster mindfulness and sensory activation. Method VR-based intervention was applied in persons with dementia (PwD) with Alzheimer’s dementia (AD; n=12, age M=85.0 years, MMSE M=21.5) and healthy controls (n=12, age M=75.1 years, MMSE M=30) using 30 minutes of panoramic video-based multi-sensory experiences presenting stimuli that empower relaxation (body-scanning, beach, forest) and activation (bakery, orchestra). EEG-based alpha-band signals (8-12 Hz) associated with relaxation and inhibitory control were recorded before, during and after intervention and eye tracking was applied during intervention. Result Pre-post EEG analysis showed significant increases in alpha power and brain connectivity for PwD with AD and controls (post > pre, p controls, p=.004(**) from the observation of a 3 minutes video, and significant correlation (Rho=.607, p=.003(**); 3 minutes video) was achieved between eye movements and the Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory score. Conclusion The potential of VR-based intervention based on mindfulness and sensory activation is very promising: the study demonstrated significant increases of EEG alpha power and brain connectivity where PwD usually suffer from decline and gaze data acquired during intervention indicate potential for non-invasive assessment for decision support. OpenSense anticipates numerous opportunities for novel VR-based care services for empowering cognitive reserve, inducing sensory activation, raising awareness and motivation for self-regulation, and as pervasive assessment tool.