Application of Virtual Travel for Alzheimer's Disease

Abstract

Negative emotions such as anxiety, frustration, or apathy can have an impact on the brain capability in terms of memory and cognitive functions. This is particularly visible in Alzheimer’s disease where the participants can have a deterioration of their brain connections which are often the cause of the disorders detected in Alzheimer's participants. It seems important to reduce these symptoms to allow better access to memory and cognitive abilities. Immersion in Virtual Reality is a means of providing the participant with a sense of presence in an environment that isolates them from external factors that can induce negative emotions. The virtual travel is a method that can mobilize the attention of the subject and revive their interest and curiosity. We present here, an experiment in which a participant is immersed in a virtual train using a virtual headset and EEG device to measure the brain signals. To measure the impact of this train on the memory and cognitive functions, some cognitive tasks have been included before and after the travel. Experiments have been done on participants with mild cognitive disorder. Preliminary results show an increase of memory functions and in certain cases of cognitive functions, while negative emotions are reduced.