Targeted Physical and Cognitive Activity in a VR Environment in Older Adults at Risk for Alzheimer's Disease

项目摘要 该项目的总体目标是使用一种新颖的虚拟现实（VR）物理和认知 旨在改善轻度认知障碍老年人的大脑健康和认知的干预措施 (MCI)是阿尔茨海默病（AD）的一个危险因素。AD是认知障碍的最常见原因， 老年人，影响全球3600万人。几项大型药理学试验的结果已经被 没有有效的治疗方法来阻止、减缓或预防这种疾病。运动已经成为 这是一种令人兴奋的生活方式干预，有助于减轻认知丧失或延迟痴呆症的发作。然而，为了充分 利用运动的好处，在这个高危人群中，训练大脑学习和参与认知- 刺激和体力要求高的环境可能是有效治疗的关键。在认知上被控制- 在虚拟现实环境中创建的具有挑战性的环境为提高 认知功能障碍的老年人在AD的风险。虽然大量的文献已经发现， 增强认知，很少有研究将VR环境中的身体和认知活动结合起来， 同步通过在中等至剧烈强度的运动中参与和挑战空间记忆 随着时间的推移，对新获得的信息的记忆可能比身体上的记忆更强大，更持久， 只有认知活动。 因此，在这个项目中，我们的目标是使用一个综合的，生态有效的，有意义的物理和 VR中的认知干预，目标是海马体，这是有AD风险的老年人感兴趣的关键区域。 我们将招募150名老年人并随机分配参与干预（结合身体和认知 VR程序）、主动控制（仅物理循环）或被动控制（仅认知VR）组进行研究 老年人（55-80岁）认知、脑功能、血液生物标志物和身体健康的变化 患有早期轻度认知障碍这项研究的结果将为新药物的益处提供新的证据。 结合VR干预，同时针对身体和认知健康。

PROJECT SUMMARY The overarching goal of this project is to use a novel virtual reality (VR) physical and cognitive intervention aimed at improving brain health and cognition in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD). AD is the most common cause of cognitive impairment in older adults and affects 36 million people worldwide. Results from several large pharmacological trials have been sobering with no effective treatments for halting, slowing, or preventing the disease. Exercise has emerged as an exciting, lifestyle intervention to help mitigate cognitive loss or delay the onset of dementia. However, to fully leverage exercise benefits in this at-risk population, training the brain to learn and engage in a cognitively- stimulating and physically-demanding environment may be key to effective therapies. Controlled cognitively- challenging environments created in a VR setting provide an adaptable and safe environment for improving cognitive dysfunction in older adults at risk for AD. While a large body of literature has found that exercise enhances cognition, very few studies have coupled physical and cognitive activity in a VR environment, simultaneously. By engaging and challenging spatial memory during moderate-to-vigorous intensity exercise over time, memories for newly acquired information may be stronger and longer-lasting than either physical or cognitive activity alone. Therefore, in this project, we aim to use an integrated, ecologically valid, and meaningful physical and cognitive intervention in VR that targets the hippocampus, a key region of interest in older adults at risk for AD. We will recruit and randomize 150 older adults to participate in the intervention (combined physical and cognitive VR program), active control (physical cycling only), or passive control (cognitive VR only) group to investigate changes in cognition, brain function, blood-based biomarkers, and physical health in old adults (55-80 years old) with early mild cognitive impairment. Results from this study will provide new evidence for the benefits of a novel combined VR intervention that target physical and cognitive health, simultaneously.