Affiliations: University of East London, London, E15 4LZ, UK | William Paterson University, Department of Psychology, UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School, Department of PM&R, P.O. Box 43592, Upper Montclair, NJ 07043, USA. Tel.: +1 973 720 3400; E-mail: diamondb@wpunj.edu
Correspondence:
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Address for correspondence: Dr. B.M. Brooks, School of Psychology, University of East London, Romford Road, London E15 4LZ, UK. Tel.: +44 208 223 4423; Fax: +44 208 223 4937; E-mail: b.m.brooks@uel.ac.uk
Abstract: There is considerable potential for using virtual reality (VR) in memory rehabilitation which is only just beginning to be realized. PC-based virtual environments are probably better suited for this purpose than more immersive virtual environments because they are relatively inexpensive and portable, and less frightening to patients. Those exploratory studies that have so far been performed indicate that VR involvement would be usefully directed towards improving assessments of memory impairments and in memory remediation using reorganization techniques. In memory assessment, the use of VR could provide more comprehensive, ecologically-valid, and controlled evaluations of prospective, incidental, and spatial memory in a rehabilitation setting than is possible using standardized assessment tests. The additional knowledge gained from these assessments could more effectively direct rehabilitation towards specific impairments of individual patients. In memory remediation, VR training has been found to promote procedural learning in people with memory impairments, and this learning has been found to transfer to improved real-world performance. Future research should investigate ways in which the procedural knowledge gained during VR interaction can be adapted to offset the many disabilities which result from different forms of memory impairment.
