2026 Volume 12 Issue 3 Pages 215-221
Objectives: This study examined the feasibility of patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) performing gaming tasks.
Methods: Ten patients with MCI and nine patients with AD participated. Gaming and tabletop tasks were the two types of interventions designed for this study. Following a randomized crossover design, the two interventions were conducted at a rate of 1 hour per week for 4 weeks. The Genki! Ha•tsu•ra•tsu Trepachi-table (TOYOMARU INDUSTRY CO., LTD., Aichi, Japan) device was used for the gaming intervention. Using this table-shaped gaming device with cognitive training components, one to four players can compete in various gaming challenges on a touchscreen mounted on the top of the table. For the tabletop task intervention, patients completed arithmetic and spot-the-difference exercises as cognitive training activities. A visual analog scale was used to quantify mood before and after each intervention session, and a reaction scale measuring the “autonomy” and “degree of participation” of patients was completed after each intervention.
Results: The gaming intervention significantly increased the visual analog scale score of the AD group (p=0.031). The MCI group had significantly higher autonomy reaction scale scores during the gaming intervention than the AD group (p=0.007).
Conclusions: Activities using gaming technology may enhance the willingness and mood of senior citizens with diminished cognitive capabilities and could potentially support ongoing brain training.
