Effects of Home Based Serious Game Training (Brain Talk™) in the Elderly With Mild Cognitive Impairment: Randomized, a Single-Blind, Controlled Trial

Eun Hee Lim; Da-Sol Kim; Yu-Hui Won; Sung-Hee Park; Jeong-Hwan Seo; Myoung-Hwan Ko; Gi-Wook Kim

doi:10.12786/bn.2023.16.e4

Effects of Home Based Serious Game Training (Brain Talk™) in the Elderly With Mild Cognitive Impairment: Randomized, a Single-Blind, Controlled Trial

Brain Neurorehabil. 2023 Mar 17;16(1):e4. doi: 10.12786/bn.2023.16.e4. eCollection 2023 Mar.

Authors

Eun Hee Lim¹, Da-Sol Kim¹, Yu-Hui Won^{1

2}, Sung-Hee Park^{1

2}, Jeong-Hwan Seo^{1

2}, Myoung-Hwan Ko^{1

2}, Gi-Wook Kim^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Jeonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju, Korea.
² Research Institute of Clinical Medicine of Jeonbuk National University - Biomedical Research Institute of Jeonbuk National University Hospital, Jeonju, Korea.

Abstract

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) increases with aging society. Serious games may be effective in improving cognitive function in patients with MCI; however, research on their effects remains insufficient. This study aimed to confirm the efficacy and safety of cognitive rehabilitation training using a serious game (Brain Talk™) for the elderly with MCI. Twenty-four elderly individuals with MCI were randomized into study and control groups. The study group received 12 training sessions (30 min/session, 3 times/week), whereas the control group did not receive training. Blinded evaluations were conducted before and after the training and four weeks after the training. The primary outcome measures were the Korean Mini-Mental State Examination (K-MMSE) and K-MoCA (Korean Montreal Cognitive Assessment). Secondary outcome measures were the Semantic Verbal Fluency Task (SVFT), Trail-Making Test-B, and 2-back test. In the study group, the K-MMSE, K-MoCA, and SVFT scores after finishing the training and 4 weeks after training showed a significant increase; however, there was no significant change in the control group. No significant differences were observed between the two groups. Cognitive function significantly improved in the study group after training. Home-based serious games are considered helpful in improving cognitive function.

Keywords: Aging; Cognition; Dementia.