Affiliations: [a] Laboratory of Anatomy, Biomechanics and Organogenesis (LABO), Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium | [b] Department of Electronics and Informatics – ETRO, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium | [c] imec, Leuven, Belgium | [d] Department of Geriatric, Erasme Hospital, Brussels, Belgium | [e] Department of Neurology, Erasme Hospital, Brussels, Belgium | [f] Department of Chest and Thoracic Surgery, Erasme Hospital, Brussels, Belgium | [g] Laboratory of Functional Anatomy, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
Correspondence:
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Correspondence to: Bruno Bonnechère, Laboratory of Anatomy, Biomechanics and Organogenesis (LABO) [CP 619], Lennik Street 808, 1070 Brussels, Belgium. Tel.: +3225556329; E-mail: bbonnech@ulb.ac.be.
Abstract: Background:In the past few years numerous mobile games have been developed to train the brain. There is a lack of information about the relation between the scores obtained in these games and the cognitive abilities of the patients. Objective:The aim of this study was to determine whether or not mobile games can be used to assess cognitive abilities of elderly. Methods:Twenty healthy young adults, 29 old patients with cognitive impairments (Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) [20– 24]) and 27-aged controls participated in this study. Scores obtained in 7 mobile games were correlated with MMSE and the Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Evaluation revised (ACE-R). Results:Statistically significant differences were found for all games between patients with cognitive impairments and the aged controls. Correlations between the average scores of the games and the MMSE and ACE-R are significant (R = 0.72 [p < 0.001] and R = 0.81 [p < 0.001], respectively). Conclusion:Scores of cognitive mobile games could be used as an alternative to MMSE and ACE-R to evaluate cognitive function of aged people with and without cognitive impairment at least when MMSE is higher than 20/30.
Keywords: Assessment, cognitive evaluation, dementia, mobile games, serious games
