Fun cube based brain gym cognitive function assessment system

• Published in: Computers in biology and medicine Vol. 84; pp. 1 - 8
• Main Authors: Zhang, Tao, Lin, Chung-Chih, Yu, Tsang-Chu, Sun, Jing, Hsu, Wen-Chuin, Wong, Alice May-Kuen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Ltd 01.05.2017; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Acceptance tests; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aging; Alzheimer's disease; Blindness; Brain; Brain - physiology; Brain gym; Cognition & reasoning; Cognition - physiology; Cognitive ability; Cognitive Dysfunction - diagnosis; Cognitive function impairment; Color; Computer Communication Networks; Correlation coefficients; Data base management systems; Data transmission; Dementia; Feedback; Female; Fun cube; Games; Geriatrics; Humans; Impairment; Information management; Information systems; Interactive computer systems; Interactive systems; Internal Medicine; Male; Man-machine interfaces; Memory; Multimedia; Neuropsychological Tests; Older people; Other; Personal computers; Risk groups; Sensors; Statistical analysis; Technology utilization; Video Games; Wireless communications; Wireless sensor network; Wireless sensor networks; Wireless sensor network; Multimedia; Cognitive function impairment; Brain gym; Fun cube
• ISSN: 0010-4825; 1879-0534; 1879-0534
• DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2017.03.003

The aim of this study is to design and develop a fun cube (FC) based brain gym (BG) cognitive function assessment system using the wireless sensor network and multimedia technologies. The system comprised (1) interaction devices, FCs and a workstation used as interactive tools for collecting and transferring data to the server, (2) a BG information management system responsible for managing the cognitive games and storing test results, and (3) a feedback system used for conducting the analysis of cognitive functions to assist caregivers in screening high risk groups with mild cognitive impairment. Three kinds of experiments were performed to evaluate the developed FC-based BG cognitive function assessment system. The experimental results showed that the Pearson correlation coefficient between the system's evaluation outcomes and the traditional Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores was 0.83. The average Technology Acceptance Model 2 score was close to six for 31 elderly subjects. Most subjects considered that the brain games are interesting and the FC human-machine interface is easy to learn and operate. The control group and the cognitive impairment group had statistically significant difference with respect to the accuracy of and the time taken for the brain cognitive function assessment games, including Animal Naming, Color Search, Trail Making Test, Change Blindness, and Forward / Backward Digit Span.