The Experts below are selected from a list of 204 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform
Tania Giovannetti - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
sensitive performance based assessment of Everyday Action in older and younger adults
Aging Neuropsychology and Cognition, 2018Co-Authors: Sarah Seligman Rycroft, Tania Giovannetti, Ross Divers, Jacob HulswitAbstract:ABSTRACTEveryday function is compromised by mild cognitive changes in aging. These changes predict risk for future decline and dementia but remain poorly characterized, largely due to a scarcity of sensitive, objective measures.Twenty-seven younger adults and 25 non-demented older adults completed the Naturalistic Action Test (NAT), a performance-based measure of Everyday Action involving simple and complex tasks. Performance was coded for overt errors and subtle inefficiencies. Participants also completed self-report functional measures and cognitive tests. Mixed ANOVAs revealed that older adults made more subtle NAT errors with high task demands; groups did not differ in overt errors. Correlations did not reveal significant relations between self-report and NAT errors, but NAT performance was correlated with learning and recall.The NAT provides a promising tool for detecting subtle age-related changes and examining decline across levels of impairment. Self-report may lack sensitivity to subtle changes, ...
-
environmental adaptations improve Everyday Action in schizophrenia
Journal of The International Neuropsychological Society, 2015Co-Authors: Rachel K Kessler, Emma Rhodes, Tania GiovannettiAbstract:Cognitive functioning, particularly executive functioning, is a strong predictor of functional outcomes in people with schizophrenia. Cognitive remediation has been shown to improve specific cognitive processes, but adjunctive interventions are required for meaningful gains in adaptive functioning, particularly in people with chronic illness. This study examined whether (and how) environmental adaptations, used without training, may circumvent cognitive difficulties and facilitate Everyday task performance in individuals with chronic schizophrenia. Forty-two individuals with chronic schizophrenia/ schizoaffective disorder were administered cognitive measures and two versions of the Naturalistic Action Test (NAT)—a standard version (ST-NAT), and a user-centered version (UC-NAT) that incorporated environmental adaptations designed to facilitate task performance. The NAT conditions were counterbalanced across participants. Analyses compared performance between the NAT versions and examined the cognitive correlates of each NAT condition. Individuals with schizophrenia made fewer errors on the UC-NAT as compared to the ST-NAT; this between-group difference was significant for all error types. Compared to the ST-NAT, the UC-NAT performance was not significantly associated with an executive function measure of planning. Environmental adaptations may be implemented without extensive training to improve Everyday Action in individuals with chronic schizophrenia. Environmental adaptations that reduce planning demands may be most effective in this population. (JINS, 2015, 21 ,1 –11)
-
commissions and omissions are dissociable aspects of Everyday Action impairment in schizophrenia
Journal of The International Neuropsychological Society, 2014Co-Authors: Kathryn N Devlin, Tania Giovannetti, Rachel K Kessler, Molly FanningAbstract:Prior research using performance-based assessment of functional impairment has informed a novel neuropsychological model of Everyday Action impairment in dementia in which omission errors (i.e., failure to complete task steps) dissociate from commission errors (i.e., inaccurate performance of task steps) and have unique neuropsychological correlates. However, this model has not been tested in other populations. The present study examined whether this model extends to schizophrenia. Fifty-four individuals with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were administered a neuropsychological protocol and the Naturalistic Action Test (NAT), a performance-based measure of Everyday Action. A principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to examine the construct(s) comprising Everyday Action impairment, and correlations between the resultant component(s) and neuropsychological tests were examined. Results showed that omissions and a subset of commissions were distinct components of Everyday Action. However, results did not support unique associations between these components and specific neuropsychological measures. These findings extend the omission-commission model to schizophrenia and may have important implications for efficient assessment and effective rehabilitation of functional impairment, such as the potential efficacy of targeted interventions for the rehabilitation of omission and commission deficits in Everyday functioning. Larger studies with prospective designs are needed to replicate the present preliminary findings. (JINS, 2014, 20, 812–821)
-
Creativity, Overinclusion, and Everyday Tasks
Creativity Research Journal, 2014Co-Authors: Dylan D. Ottemiller, Colette Seter Elliott, Tania GiovannettiAbstract:This study examined relations between creative thinking and performance on routine, Everyday tasks. Results were considered in light of past research on the putative relation between creativity and schizophrenia/psychotic thinking. Thirty healthy undergraduates completed the Alternative Uses Task, a measure of divergent thinking, and the 2 × 3 Multi-Level Action Test, a performance-based measure of Everyday Action. The Alternative Uses Task was scored for fluency (total plausible uses), originality (uniqueness of responses), and errors (inappropriate uses). The 2 × 3 Multi-Level Action Test was scored for omissions (step not performed), commissions (step performed incorrectly), and additions (performing off-task step). Correlations between Alternative Uses Task and 2 × 3 Multi-Level Action Test variables showed originality was highly associated with both omissions and commissions, such that the more unique responses one generated, the fewer Everyday Action errors were made. Alternative Uses Task errors we...
-
a new approach to the characterization of subtle errors in Everyday Action implications for mild cognitive impairment
Clinical Neuropsychologist, 2014Co-Authors: Sarah C Seligman, Tania Giovannetti, John Sestito, David J LibonAbstract:Mild functional difficulties have been associated with early cognitive decline in older adults and increased risk for conversion to dementia in mild cognitive impairment, but our understanding of this decline has been limited by a dearth of objective methods. This study evaluated the reliability and validity of a new system to code subtle errors on an established performance-based measure of Everyday Action and described preliminary findings within the context of a theoretical model of Action disruption. Here 45 older adults completed the Naturalistic Action Test (NAT) and neuropsychological measures. NAT performance was coded for overt errors, and subtle Action difficulties were scored using a novel coding system. An inter-rater reliability coefficient was calculated. Validity of the coding system was assessed using a repeated-measures ANOVA with NAT task (simple versus complex) and error type (overt versus subtle) as within-group factors. Correlation/regression analyses were conducted among overt NAT er...
David J Libon - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
a new approach to the characterization of subtle errors in Everyday Action implications for mild cognitive impairment
Clinical Neuropsychologist, 2014Co-Authors: Sarah C Seligman, Tania Giovannetti, John Sestito, David J LibonAbstract:Mild functional difficulties have been associated with early cognitive decline in older adults and increased risk for conversion to dementia in mild cognitive impairment, but our understanding of this decline has been limited by a dearth of objective methods. This study evaluated the reliability and validity of a new system to code subtle errors on an established performance-based measure of Everyday Action and described preliminary findings within the context of a theoretical model of Action disruption. Here 45 older adults completed the Naturalistic Action Test (NAT) and neuropsychological measures. NAT performance was coded for overt errors, and subtle Action difficulties were scored using a novel coding system. An inter-rater reliability coefficient was calculated. Validity of the coding system was assessed using a repeated-measures ANOVA with NAT task (simple versus complex) and error type (overt versus subtle) as within-group factors. Correlation/regression analyses were conducted among overt NAT er...
-
differential effects of goal cues on Everyday Action errors in alzheimer s disease versus parkinson s disease dementia
Neuropsychology (journal), 2014Co-Authors: Tania Giovannetti, Priscilla Britnell, Laura Brennan, Sarah C Seligman, David J LibonAbstract:OBJECTIVE: Prior research has shown that individuals with Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD) show a different pattern of error types on Everyday tasks compared with individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study evaluated whether these groups would respond differently to cues designed to remind participants of task goals and improve performance of Everyday tasks (i.e., goal cues). METHOD: Participants with PDD (n = 20) and AD (n = 20), and a comparison group of individuals with Parkinson's disease and no dementia (n = 20), were administered performance-based tasks of Everyday functioning that allowed for the quantification of errors before and after the presentation of goal cues. RESULTS: AD participants showed a significantly greater response to the goal cues as compared with individuals with PDD. The goal cues facilitated the completion of task goals but did not promote error correction (i.e., the undoing of errors that had been made earlier during the task). CONCLUSIONS: Not all dementia patients respond similarly to cues designed to improve Everyday functioning. Understanding patients' specific form of Everyday Action impairment is crucial for developing individualized interventions that target specific functional deficits.
-
neuroimaging correlates of Everyday Action in dementia
Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 2013Co-Authors: Gregory A Seidel, Tania Giovannetti, Catherine C Price, Jared J Tanner, Sandra Mitchell, Joel Eppig, David J LibonAbstract:The Everyday, functional impairments associated with dementia remain poorly understood from a neuropsychological perspective. This study investigated relations between brain structure volumes and two measures of Everyday Action—caregiver questionnaire and direct assessment—in 57 participants with dementia. Results showed that caregiver ratings reflecting more functional impairment were strongly associated with smaller volumes of deep white matter. Direct assessment of Everyday task performance in a subsample revealed relations between unique neurological substrates and discrete Everyday Action error types. Findings emphasize differences in functional assessment methods and highlight the role of white matter in functional deficits in dementia.
-
Everyday Action impairment in parkinson s disease dementia
Journal of The International Neuropsychological Society, 2012Co-Authors: Tania Giovannetti, Joel Eppig, David J Libon, Priscilla Britnell, Laura Brennan, Andrew Siderowf, Murray Grossman, Brianne M Bettcher, Francesca Rouzard, Gregory A SeidelAbstract:This study examined Everyday Action impairment in participants with Parkinson’s disease dementia (PDD) by comparison with participants with Parkinson’s disease-no dementia (PD) or Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and in reference to a neuropsychological model. Participants with PDD (n 5 20), PD (n 5 20), or AD (n 5 20) were administered performancebased measures of Everyday functioning that allowed for the quantification of overall performance and error types. Also, caregiver ratings of functional independence were obtained. On performance-based tests, the PDD group exhibited greater functional impairment than the PD group but comparable overall impairment relative to the AD group. Error patterns did not differ between PDD and PD participants but the PDD group demonstrated a higher proportion of commission errors and lower proportion of omission errors relative to the AD group. Hierarchical regression analyses showed omission errors were significantly predicted by neuropsychological measures of episodic memory, whereas commission errors were predicted by both measures of general dementia severity (MMSE) and executive control. Everyday Action impairment in PDD differs quantitatively from PD but qualitatively from AD and may be characterized by a relatively high proportion of commission errors—an error type associated with executive control deficits. (JINS, 2012, 18, 787–798)
-
target related distractors disrupt object selection in Everyday Action evidence from participants with dementia
Journal of The International Neuropsychological Society, 2010Co-Authors: Tania Giovannetti, David J Libon, Laura Brennan, Brianne M Bettcher, Denene Wambach, Colette SeterAbstract:: This study evaluated the impact of distractor objects and their similarity to target objects on Everyday task performance in dementia. Twenty participants with dementia due to Alzheimer's disease (n = 12) or subcortical vascular disease (n = 8) were videotaped while they performed 3 discrete tasks: (1) make a cup of coffee, (2) wrap a gift, and (3) pack a lunch under two conditions that were counterbalanced across participants. The conditions differed in terms of the type of distractor objects included in the workspace: (1) Target-Related Distractor Condition - distractor objects were functionally and visually similar to target objects (e.g., salt for sugar) (2) Unrelated Distractor Condition - distractors were neither visually nor functionally similar to targets (e.g., glue for sugar). Participants touched (t = 4.19; p .05 for both). In summary, distractors that were similar to targets elicited significant interference effects circumscribed to object selection.
Laura Brennan - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
differential effects of goal cues on Everyday Action errors in alzheimer s disease versus parkinson s disease dementia
Neuropsychology (journal), 2014Co-Authors: Tania Giovannetti, Priscilla Britnell, Laura Brennan, Sarah C Seligman, David J LibonAbstract:OBJECTIVE: Prior research has shown that individuals with Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD) show a different pattern of error types on Everyday tasks compared with individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study evaluated whether these groups would respond differently to cues designed to remind participants of task goals and improve performance of Everyday tasks (i.e., goal cues). METHOD: Participants with PDD (n = 20) and AD (n = 20), and a comparison group of individuals with Parkinson's disease and no dementia (n = 20), were administered performance-based tasks of Everyday functioning that allowed for the quantification of errors before and after the presentation of goal cues. RESULTS: AD participants showed a significantly greater response to the goal cues as compared with individuals with PDD. The goal cues facilitated the completion of task goals but did not promote error correction (i.e., the undoing of errors that had been made earlier during the task). CONCLUSIONS: Not all dementia patients respond similarly to cues designed to improve Everyday functioning. Understanding patients' specific form of Everyday Action impairment is crucial for developing individualized interventions that target specific functional deficits.
-
Everyday Action impairment in parkinson s disease dementia
Journal of The International Neuropsychological Society, 2012Co-Authors: Tania Giovannetti, Joel Eppig, David J Libon, Priscilla Britnell, Laura Brennan, Andrew Siderowf, Murray Grossman, Brianne M Bettcher, Francesca Rouzard, Gregory A SeidelAbstract:This study examined Everyday Action impairment in participants with Parkinson’s disease dementia (PDD) by comparison with participants with Parkinson’s disease-no dementia (PD) or Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and in reference to a neuropsychological model. Participants with PDD (n 5 20), PD (n 5 20), or AD (n 5 20) were administered performancebased measures of Everyday functioning that allowed for the quantification of overall performance and error types. Also, caregiver ratings of functional independence were obtained. On performance-based tests, the PDD group exhibited greater functional impairment than the PD group but comparable overall impairment relative to the AD group. Error patterns did not differ between PDD and PD participants but the PDD group demonstrated a higher proportion of commission errors and lower proportion of omission errors relative to the AD group. Hierarchical regression analyses showed omission errors were significantly predicted by neuropsychological measures of episodic memory, whereas commission errors were predicted by both measures of general dementia severity (MMSE) and executive control. Everyday Action impairment in PDD differs quantitatively from PD but qualitatively from AD and may be characterized by a relatively high proportion of commission errors—an error type associated with executive control deficits. (JINS, 2012, 18, 787–798)
-
target related distractors disrupt object selection in Everyday Action evidence from participants with dementia
Journal of The International Neuropsychological Society, 2010Co-Authors: Tania Giovannetti, David J Libon, Laura Brennan, Brianne M Bettcher, Denene Wambach, Colette SeterAbstract:: This study evaluated the impact of distractor objects and their similarity to target objects on Everyday task performance in dementia. Twenty participants with dementia due to Alzheimer's disease (n = 12) or subcortical vascular disease (n = 8) were videotaped while they performed 3 discrete tasks: (1) make a cup of coffee, (2) wrap a gift, and (3) pack a lunch under two conditions that were counterbalanced across participants. The conditions differed in terms of the type of distractor objects included in the workspace: (1) Target-Related Distractor Condition - distractor objects were functionally and visually similar to target objects (e.g., salt for sugar) (2) Unrelated Distractor Condition - distractors were neither visually nor functionally similar to targets (e.g., glue for sugar). Participants touched (t = 4.19; p .05 for both). In summary, distractors that were similar to targets elicited significant interference effects circumscribed to object selection.
-
the impact of goal cues on Everyday Action performance in dementia
Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, 2009Co-Authors: Laura Brennan, Tania Giovannetti, David J Libon, Brianne M Bettcher, Katia DueyAbstract:Everyday Action performance is impaired as a consequence of dementia. Omissions (i.e., not performing task steps) are a frequent source of error in Everyday tasks among dementia patients. External cues or notes are often suggested to improve Everyday functioning and might specifically address omission errors; however, the efficacy of such strategies has not been evaluated. Thus, the primary aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of goal cues (i.e., reminders of Everyday task objectives) for improving dementia patients' Everyday Action performance. Forty-four participants with mild to moderate dementia were administered the Naturalistic Action Test (NAT), a performance-based test that includes three Everyday tasks. After participants indicated that they had completed each task, they were presented with a cue card restating the task goals. Videotapes were used to code task performance as well as responses to the cues. Most participants checked their work and showed significant improvement in task acco...
-
coffee with jelly or unbuttered toast commissions and omissions are dissociable aspects of Everyday Action impairment in alzheimer s disease
Neuropsychology (journal), 2008Co-Authors: Tania Giovannetti, Rachel K Kessler, Laura Brennan, Brianne M Bettcher, David J Libron, Katia DueyAbstract:Relative to our understanding of the memory and language deficits associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), little is known about problems with Everyday Action performance (i.e., meal preparation, grooming). The resource theory proposes that Everyday Action problems are best explained by a unitary deficit in general cognitive resources. However, recent research suggests that omission and commission errors may reflect dissociable aspects of Action impairment, with only omissions associated with resource limitations. This study examined Everyday Action performance in 70 participants with AD who also underwent a neuropsychological evaluation. First, correlation and principal component analyses were performed to examine the construct(s) that might explain Everyday Action impairment. Second, relations between Everyday task component(s) and neuropsychological tests were examined by using correlation and regression analyses. Third, differences in Everyday Action error patterns were examined among participants of comparable overall impairment levels. Results showed omission and commission errors were uncorrelated and distinct components of Everyday Action performance, predicted by different neuropsychological tests, and differentially distributed even among participants with comparable overall impairment.
Rachel K Kessler - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
environmental adaptations improve Everyday Action in schizophrenia
Journal of The International Neuropsychological Society, 2015Co-Authors: Rachel K Kessler, Emma Rhodes, Tania GiovannettiAbstract:Cognitive functioning, particularly executive functioning, is a strong predictor of functional outcomes in people with schizophrenia. Cognitive remediation has been shown to improve specific cognitive processes, but adjunctive interventions are required for meaningful gains in adaptive functioning, particularly in people with chronic illness. This study examined whether (and how) environmental adaptations, used without training, may circumvent cognitive difficulties and facilitate Everyday task performance in individuals with chronic schizophrenia. Forty-two individuals with chronic schizophrenia/ schizoaffective disorder were administered cognitive measures and two versions of the Naturalistic Action Test (NAT)—a standard version (ST-NAT), and a user-centered version (UC-NAT) that incorporated environmental adaptations designed to facilitate task performance. The NAT conditions were counterbalanced across participants. Analyses compared performance between the NAT versions and examined the cognitive correlates of each NAT condition. Individuals with schizophrenia made fewer errors on the UC-NAT as compared to the ST-NAT; this between-group difference was significant for all error types. Compared to the ST-NAT, the UC-NAT performance was not significantly associated with an executive function measure of planning. Environmental adaptations may be implemented without extensive training to improve Everyday Action in individuals with chronic schizophrenia. Environmental adaptations that reduce planning demands may be most effective in this population. (JINS, 2015, 21 ,1 –11)
-
commissions and omissions are dissociable aspects of Everyday Action impairment in schizophrenia
Journal of The International Neuropsychological Society, 2014Co-Authors: Kathryn N Devlin, Tania Giovannetti, Rachel K Kessler, Molly FanningAbstract:Prior research using performance-based assessment of functional impairment has informed a novel neuropsychological model of Everyday Action impairment in dementia in which omission errors (i.e., failure to complete task steps) dissociate from commission errors (i.e., inaccurate performance of task steps) and have unique neuropsychological correlates. However, this model has not been tested in other populations. The present study examined whether this model extends to schizophrenia. Fifty-four individuals with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were administered a neuropsychological protocol and the Naturalistic Action Test (NAT), a performance-based measure of Everyday Action. A principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to examine the construct(s) comprising Everyday Action impairment, and correlations between the resultant component(s) and neuropsychological tests were examined. Results showed that omissions and a subset of commissions were distinct components of Everyday Action. However, results did not support unique associations between these components and specific neuropsychological measures. These findings extend the omission-commission model to schizophrenia and may have important implications for efficient assessment and effective rehabilitation of functional impairment, such as the potential efficacy of targeted interventions for the rehabilitation of omission and commission deficits in Everyday functioning. Larger studies with prospective designs are needed to replicate the present preliminary findings. (JINS, 2014, 20, 812–821)
-
Empirically Defined Patterns of Executive Function Deficits in Schizophrenia and Their Relation to Everyday Functioning: A Person-Centered Approach
Clinical Neuropsychologist, 2012Co-Authors: Mary Iampietro, Tania Giovannetti, Deborah A. G. Drabick, Rachel K KesslerAbstract:Executive function (EF) deficits in schizophrenia (SZ) are well documented, although much less is known about patterns of EF deficits and their association to differential impairments in Everyday functioning. The present study empirically defined SZ groups based on measures of various EF abilities and then compared these EF groups on Everyday Action errors. Participants (n = 45) completed various subtests from the Delis–Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS) and the Naturalistic Action Test (NAT), a performance-based measure of Everyday Action that yields scores reflecting total errors and a range of different error types (e.g., omission, perseveration). Results of a latent class analysis revealed three distinct EF groups, characterized by (a) multiple EF deficits, (b) relatively spared EF, and (c) perseverative responding. Follow-up analyses revealed that the classes differed significantly on NAT total errors, total commission errors, and total perseveration errors; the two classes with EF impairment ...
-
Everyday Action planning in schizophrenia
Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, 2011Co-Authors: Colette Seter, Tania Giovannetti, Rachel K Kessler, Shataya WorthAbstract:Planning of Everyday tasks was examined in 48 inpatients with schizophrenia and 26 healthy controls. Participants were administered the Naturalistic Action Test, which requires completion of three Everyday tasks (e.g., make toast and coffee). Planning variables, including planning behaviours (e.g., gathering items before engaging in a subtask) and planning time (e.g., period between task instructions and first Action) were coded to evaluate forward thinking in these tasks. Results showed that planning variables were reliably coded. Controls demonstrated more planning behaviours than participants with schizophrenia; however, this difference was accounted for by education. People with schizophrenia spent significantly less time planning when planning time was analysed as a proportion of the total time on tasks. Planning variables were related to the ability to accomplish Everyday task steps and to perform Everyday task steps accurately. Together these findings suggest that rehabilitation strategies that emp...
-
coffee with jelly or unbuttered toast commissions and omissions are dissociable aspects of Everyday Action impairment in alzheimer s disease
Neuropsychology (journal), 2008Co-Authors: Tania Giovannetti, Rachel K Kessler, Laura Brennan, Brianne M Bettcher, David J Libron, Katia DueyAbstract:Relative to our understanding of the memory and language deficits associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), little is known about problems with Everyday Action performance (i.e., meal preparation, grooming). The resource theory proposes that Everyday Action problems are best explained by a unitary deficit in general cognitive resources. However, recent research suggests that omission and commission errors may reflect dissociable aspects of Action impairment, with only omissions associated with resource limitations. This study examined Everyday Action performance in 70 participants with AD who also underwent a neuropsychological evaluation. First, correlation and principal component analyses were performed to examine the construct(s) that might explain Everyday Action impairment. Second, relations between Everyday task component(s) and neuropsychological tests were examined by using correlation and regression analyses. Third, differences in Everyday Action error patterns were examined among participants of comparable overall impairment levels. Results showed omission and commission errors were uncorrelated and distinct components of Everyday Action performance, predicted by different neuropsychological tests, and differentially distributed even among participants with comparable overall impairment.
Paul Richard - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
Detecting Everyday Action deficits in Alzheimer's disease using a nonimmersive virtual reality kitchen
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 2014Co-Authors: Philippe Allain, Déborah Alexandra Foloppe, Jérémy Besnard, Dominik Gall, Pierre Nolin, Frédérique Etcharry-bouyx, Takehiko Yamaguchi, Paul RichardAbstract:Alzheimer's disease (AD) causes impairments affecting instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). Transdisciplinary research in neuropsychology and virtual reality has fostered the development of ecologically valid virtual tools for the assessment of IADL, using simulations of real life activities. Few studies have examined the benefits of this approach in AD patients. Our aim was to examine the utility of a non-immersive virtual coffee task (NI-VCT) for assessment of IADL in these patients. We focus on the assessment results obtained from a group of 24 AD patients on a task designed to assess their ability to prepare a virtual cup of coffee, using a virtual coffee machine. We compared performance on the virtual task to an identical daily living task involving the actual preparation of a cup of coffee, as well as to global cognitive, executive, and caregiver-reported IADL functioning. Relative to 32 comparable, healthy elderly (HE) controls, AD patients performed worse than HE controls on all tasks. Correlation analyses revealed that NI-VCT measures were related to all other neuropsychological measures. Moreover, regression analyses demonstrated that performance on the NI-VCT predicted actual task performance and caregiver-reported IADL functioning. Our results provide initial support for the utility of our virtual kitchen for assessment of IADL in AD patients.
-
A Dual-Modal Virtual Reality Kitchen for (Re)Learning of Everyday Cooking Activities in Alzheimer's Disease
Presence, 2012Co-Authors: Takehiko Yamaguchi, Déborah Alexandra Foloppe, Paul Richard, Emmanuelle Richard, Philippe AllainAbstract:Everyday Action impairment is one of the diagnostic criteria of Alzheimer's disease and is associated with many serious consequences, including loss of functional autonomy and independence. It has been shown that the (re)learning of Everyday activities is possible in Alzheimer's disease by using error reduction teaching approaches in naturalistic clinical settings. The purpose of this study is to develop a dual-modal virtual reality platform for training in Everyday cooking activities in Alzheimer's disease and to establish its value as a training tool for Everyday activities in these patients. Two Everyday tasks and two error reduction learning methods were implemented within a virtual kitchen. Two patients with Alzheimer's disease and two healthy elderly controls were tested. All subjects were trained in two learning sessions on two comparable cooking tasks. Within each group (i.e., patients and controls), the order of the training methods was counterbalanced. Repeated measure analysis before and after learning was performed. A questionnaire of presence and a verbal interview were used to obtain information about the subjective responses of the participants to the VR experience. The results in terms of errors, omissions, and perseverations (i.e., repetitive behaviors) indicate that the patients performed worse than the controls before learning, but that they reached a level of performance similar to that of the controls after a short learning session, regardless of the learning method employed. This finding provides preliminary support for the value of the dual-modal virtual reality platform for training in Everyday cooking activities in Alzheimer's disease. However, further work is needed before it is ready for clinical application.