Interactive video gaming compared with health education in older adults with mild cognitive impairment: a feasibility study.
OBJECTIVE
We evaluated the feasibility of a trial of Wii interactive video gaming, and its potential efficacy at improving cognitive functioning compared with health education, in a community sample of older adults with neuropsychologically defined mild cognitive impairment.


METHODS
Twenty older adults were equally randomized to either group-based interactive video gaming or health education for 90 min each week for 24 weeks. Although the primary outcomes were related to study feasibility, we also explored the effect of the intervention on neuropsychological performance and other secondary outcomes.


RESULTS
All 20 participants completed the intervention, and 18 attended at least 80% of the sessions. The majority (80%) of participants were "very much" satisfied with the intervention. Bowling was enjoyed by the most participants and was also rated the highest among the games for mental, social, and physical stimulation. We observed medium effect sizes for cognitive and physical functioning in favor of the interactive video gaming condition, but these effects were not statistically significant in this small sample.


CONCLUSIONS
Interactive video gaming is feasible for older adults with mild cognitive impairment, and medium effect sizes in favor of the Wii group warrant a larger efficacy trial.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Tiffany F
TF
Hughes
Jason D
JD
Flatt
Bo
B
Fu
Meryl A
MA
Butters
Chung-Chou H
CC
Chang
Mary
M
Ganguli
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D012919:Social Behavior; D018910:Video Games
cognitive intervention; cognitive performance; mild cognitive impairment; pilot study; randomized controlled trial