A Protocol for Remote Cognitive Training Developed for Use in Clinical Populations During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Taylor Snowden; Lisa Ohlhauser; Jamie Morrison; Jocelyn Faubert; Jodie Gawryluk; Brian R Christie

doi:10.1089/neur.2023.0009

A Protocol for Remote Cognitive Training Developed for Use in Clinical Populations During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Neurotrauma Rep. 2023 Aug 14;4(1):522-532. doi: 10.1089/neur.2023.0009. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Taylor Snowden^{1

2}, Lisa Ohlhauser^{2

3}, Jamie Morrison^{1

2}, Jocelyn Faubert⁴, Jodie Gawryluk^{2

3}, Brian R Christie^{1

2

3

5}

Affiliations

¹ Division of Medical Sciences, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
² Institute of Aging and Lifelong Health, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
³ Department of Psychology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
⁴ Université de Montréal, Montréal, Quebec, Canada.
⁵ Island Medical Program, University of British Columbia, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

Abstract

Many traumatic brain injury (TBI) survivors face scheduling and transportation challenges when seeking therapeutic interventions. The COVID-19 pandemic created a shift in the use of at-home spaces for work, play, and research, inspiring the development of online therapeutic options. In the current study, we determined the feasibility of an at-home cognitive training tool (NeuroTrackerX) that uses anaglyph three-dimensional (3D) glasses and three-dimensional multiple object tracking (3D-MOT) software. We recruited 20 adults (10 female; mean age = 68.3 years, standard deviation [SD] = 6.75) as the at-home training group. We assessed cognitive health status for participants using a self-report questionnaire and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and all participants were deemed cognitively healthy (MMSE >26). At-home participants loaned the necessary equipment (e.g., 3D glasses, computer equipment) from the research facilities and engaged in 10 training sessions over 5 weeks (two times per week). Participant recruitment, retention, adherence, and experience were used as markers of feasibility. For program validation, 20 participants (10 female; mean age = 63.39 years, SD = 12.22), who had previously completed at least eight sessions of the in-lab 3D-MOT program, were randomly selected as the control group. We assessed individual session scores, overall improvement, and learning rates between groups. Program feasibility is supported by high recruitment and retention, 90% participant adherence, and participants' ease of use of the program. Validation of the program is supported. Groups showed no differences in session scores (p > 0.05) and percentage improvement (p > 0.05) despite the differences in screen size and 3D technology. Participants in both groups showed significant improvements in task performance across the training sessions (p < 0.001). NeuroTrackerX provides a promising at-home option for cognitive training in cognitively healthy adults and may be a promising avenue as an at-home therapeutic for TBI survivors. This abstract was previously published on clinicaltrials.gov and can be found at: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05278273.

Keywords: 3D-MOT; NeuroTrackerX; cognitive training; healthy aging; three-dimensional multiple object tracking.

Associated data

ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT05278273