TY - JOUR

T1 - Cognitive Remediation in Virtual Environments for Patients with Schizophrenia and Major Depressive Disorder

T2 - A Feasibility Study

AU - Plechatá, Adéla

AU - Hejtmánek, Lukáš

AU - Bednářová, Martina

AU - Fajnerová, Iveta

PY - 2021/8/28

Y1 - 2021/8/28

N2 - Standard approaches to cognitive remediation can suffer from limited skill transferability topatients’ life. Complex virtual environments (VEs) enable us to create ecologically valid remediationscenarios while preserving laboratory conditions. Nevertheless, the feasibility and efficacy of theseprograms in psychiatric patients are still unknown. Our aim was to compare the feasibility andefficacy of a novel rehabilitation program, designed in complex VEs, with standard paper–penciltreatment in patients with schizophrenia and major depressive disorder. We recruited 35 participantsto complete a VE rehabilitation program and standard treatment in a crossover pilot study. Twenty-eight participants completed at least one program, 22 were diagnosed with schizophrenia and 6with major depressive disorder. Participant’s performance in the representative VE training tasksignificantly improved in terms of maximum achieved difficulty (p ≤ 0.001), speed (p < 0.001) andefficacy (p ≤ 0.001) but not in item performance measure. Neither the standard treatment northe VE program led to improvement in standardized cognitive measures. Participants perceivedboth programs as enjoyable and beneficial. The refusal rate was higher in the VE program (8.6%)than in the standard treatment (0%). But in general, the VE program was well-accepted by thepsychiatric patients and it required minimal involvement of the clinician due to automatic difficultylevel adjustment and performance recording. However, the VE program did not prove to be effectivein improving cognitive performance in the standardized measures

AB - Standard approaches to cognitive remediation can suffer from limited skill transferability topatients’ life. Complex virtual environments (VEs) enable us to create ecologically valid remediationscenarios while preserving laboratory conditions. Nevertheless, the feasibility and efficacy of theseprograms in psychiatric patients are still unknown. Our aim was to compare the feasibility andefficacy of a novel rehabilitation program, designed in complex VEs, with standard paper–penciltreatment in patients with schizophrenia and major depressive disorder. We recruited 35 participantsto complete a VE rehabilitation program and standard treatment in a crossover pilot study. Twenty-eight participants completed at least one program, 22 were diagnosed with schizophrenia and 6with major depressive disorder. Participant’s performance in the representative VE training tasksignificantly improved in terms of maximum achieved difficulty (p ≤ 0.001), speed (p < 0.001) andefficacy (p ≤ 0.001) but not in item performance measure. Neither the standard treatment northe VE program led to improvement in standardized cognitive measures. Participants perceivedboth programs as enjoyable and beneficial. The refusal rate was higher in the VE program (8.6%)than in the standard treatment (0%). But in general, the VE program was well-accepted by thepsychiatric patients and it required minimal involvement of the clinician due to automatic difficultylevel adjustment and performance recording. However, the VE program did not prove to be effectivein improving cognitive performance in the standardized measures

U2 - 10.3390/ijerph18179081

DO - 10.3390/ijerph18179081

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 34501669

VL - 18

JO - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

JF - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

SN - 1661-7827

M1 - 9081

ER -