A virtual reality cognitive screening tool based on the six cognitive domains

Abstract INTRODUCTION Early detection of cognitive impairment enables interventions to slow cognitive decline. Existing neuropsychological paper‐and‐pencil tests may not adequately assess cognition in real‐life environments. A fully‐immersive and automated virtual reality (VR) system—Cognitive Assessment using VIrtual REality (CAVIRE)—was developed to assess all six cognitive domains. This case–control study aims to evaluate the ability of CAVIRE to differentiate cognitively‐healthy individuals from those with cognitive impairment. METHODS One hundred nine Asian individuals 65–84 years of age were recruited at a primary care setting in Singapore. Based on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), participants were grouped as either Cognitively Healthy (MoCA ≥26, n = 60) or Cognitively Impaired (MoCA <26, n = 49). Subsequently, all participants completed the CAVIRE assessment. RESULTS Cognitively‐healthy participants achieved higher VR scores and required shorter completion time across all six cognitive domains (all p ’s < 0.005). Receiver‐operating characteristic curve analysis showed area under the curve of 0.7267. DISCUSSION The results demonstrated the potential of CAVIRE as a cognitive screening tool in primary care. Highlights CAVIRE is a virtual reality (VR) system that assesses the six cognitive domains. CAVIRE can distinguish healthy individuals from individuals with cognitive impairment. It has potential as a cognitive screening tool for older people in primary care.