While many individuals are using virtual reality (VR) headsets for immersive gaming experiences, a growing number are leveraging this technology for a more profound purpose: aiding researchers in identifying individuals who may be at high risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease. Manu Madhav, a neuroscientist at the University of British Columbia, emphasizes the critical nature of early detection in Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. “Early diagnosis can greatly enhance the quality of life for individuals, allowing for lifestyle adjustments and treatments that may slow the progression of the disease,” he explains. However, traditional diagnostic methods often involve costly and invasive biomarker collection, necessitating clear signs of functional impairment. This scenario opens the door for non-invasive assessments of behavior and cognition, providing healthcare professionals with additional means for early diagnosis—and that’s where VR technology comes into play.
At the Cognitive Neuroscience Society (CNS) annual conference taking place in Boston, cognitive neuroscientists are increasingly adopting VR to create groundbreaking methods for evaluating cognitive decline. Their research builds on previous studies that explored spatial memory’s role in Alzheimer’s, advancing from conventional 2D tasks to sophisticated 3D immersive experiences. Recent findings indicate notable differences linked to age and disease in how people navigate and identify objects within a virtual environment, with some studies correlating cognitive deficits to the accumulation of Alzheimer’s-related proteins in the brain.
Understanding Spatial Memory and Navigation
The National Institute on Aging reports that approximately 1 in 13 individuals aged 65 to 84 will develop Alzheimer’s disease, a statistic expected to rise as life expectancy increases. However, for cognitive neuroscientist Tammy Tran, the study of memory and Alzheimer’s transcends mere numbers. Like many, she has experienced the impact of memory-related disorders in her family. Her early interest in memory was sparked by Oliver Sacks’ book “The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat.” “Episodic memory captivates me because our experiences and memories fundamentally shape our identities,” remarks Tran from Stanford University, who is leading a symposium on VR and memory at the CNS gathering. Tran is set to share preliminary research conducted by Hadi Hosseini at Stanford, demonstrating how VR-based memory tests can be combined with biofluid biomarkers to identify individuals at risk for Alzheimer’s. In their study, participants—comprising young adults, cognitively unimpaired older adults, and those with mild cognitive impairment—were tasked with recalling the locations of various objects in a virtual living room and later recreating that room.
“Our findings indicated a decline in both object location memory and accuracy between younger adults and their older, unimpaired counterparts, as well as those with mild cognitive impairment,” Tran notes. To enhance the context of these assessments, the research team collaborated with neurologists to gather Alzheimer’s biofluid biomarkers, such as plasma Aβ42/Aβ40 and pTau217, from older participants. “We discovered that pTau217 was a predictor of both object location memory and accuracy across our sample,” Tran reveals. “These results suggest that the presence of Alzheimer’s proteins significantly affects memory performance in both cognitively healthy older adults and those with mild cognitive impairment.” This aligns with emerging studies that indicate Alzheimer’s proteins can subtly but noticeably impact memory function before clinical symptoms manifest.
Linking Alzheimer’s biomarkers to cognitive abilities using immersive VR is a remarkable advancement that would have seemed impossible just five years ago, according to Tran. The evolution of Alzheimer’s diagnosis has shifted from post-mortem biomarker analysis to imaging, cerebrospinal fluid analysis, and now to the collection of blood plasma proteins. This progress is not only groundbreaking but also reflects how entertainment technology is being repurposed for clinical applications. “Having worked in the Alzheimer’s research field for a decade, I’ve never witnessed such enthusiasm from participants during experiments,” Tran shares. “For many, this represents their first encounter with immersive VR, and the naturalistic movement makes it easy for them to interact with the virtual environment.”
Manu Madhav’s interest in the innovative use of VR in cognitive neuroscience stems from his background in engineering and robotics. He became intrigued by the similarities between how robots process sensory information and how the human brain functions. After researching spatial navigation in rodents, he joined forces with an Alzheimer’s research center to develop VR techniques for assessing navigation impairments in Alzheimer’s patients. “The biggest challenge has been making VR comfortable and intuitive for older adults,” Madhav explains. “We discovered minor yet impactful adjustments that enable older participants to engage in immersive VR experiences for extended periods with minimal nausea or disorientation.” These VR systems utilize sensors for head and eye tracking, along with controllers that facilitate rich interaction.
Currently, Madhav’s team is in the initial stages of testing with healthy older and younger adults but has already observed promising results. Participants navigated a series of corridors in a VR environment while keeping track of their starting position and periodically hidden landmarks. “We have identified differences in navigational skills between healthy younger and older adults, which sets the groundwork for recruiting early Alzheimer’s participants later this year,” he explains. “We anticipate that varying complexity levels in trials will enhance the distinctions between younger and older participants, as well as those diagnosed with early Alzheimer’s.” Madhav envisions VR as a valuable resource not only for understanding and diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease but also for probing other cognitive challenges and disorders. “The recent surge in accessibility to VR technology should empower cognitive neuroscience labs with less expertise to engage with this medium and utilize VR to tackle intricate cognitive questions that necessitate immersive experiences and multi-faceted feedback.”
