The effects of tabletop gaming on patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease: A feasibility study.

OBJECTIVES

This study examined the feasibility of patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) performing gaming tasks.

METHODS

Ten patients with MCI and nine patients with AD participated. Gaming and tabletop tasks were the two types of interventions designed for this study. Following a randomized crossover design, the two interventions were conducted at a rate of 1 hour per week for 4 weeks. The Genki! Ha•tsu•ra•tsu Trepachi-table (TOYOMARU INDUSTRY CO., LTD., Aichi, Japan) device was used for the gaming intervention. Using this table-shaped gaming device with cognitive training components, one to four players can compete in various gaming challenges on a touchscreen mounted on the top of the table. For the tabletop task intervention, patients completed arithmetic and spot-the-difference exercises as cognitive training activities. A visual analog scale was used to quantify mood before and after each intervention session, and a reaction scale measuring the "autonomy" and "degree of participation" of patients was completed after each intervention.

RESULTS

The gaming intervention significantly increased the visual analog scale score of the AD group (p=0.031). The MCI group had significantly higher autonomy reaction scale scores during the gaming intervention than the AD group (p=0.007).

CONCLUSIONS

Activities using gaming technology may enhance the willingness and mood of senior citizens with diminished cognitive capabilities and could potentially support ongoing brain training.