Level of Immersion of Virtual Reality and Cognition and Motor Performance in Patients of Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder

Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder (SSD) is the main diagnosis in subjects with mental disability. The number of disabled SSD increased yearly and might be due to the ineffective medical and rehabilitative interventions on improving cognitive and motor function. Innovative and effective training programs are needed to decrease financial burden of medical care and social welfare.

Multi-tasks in real world were found to be effective in improving the sports skill of athletes and multi-tasking ability in the real world. No any study investigates in depth how the multi-tasks affect SSD patients' cognitive and motor performance.

Virtual reality exergaming (VREG) is a new form of multi-tasks incorporating information technology. It has been proved as an effective intervention media for patients with SSD in the single domain of physical fitness. No study exists examining its simultaneous influence in cognition and motor performance in SSD patients.

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of different forms of multi-tasks on the cognitive and motor performance. The results of this study might be used by clinician treating patients with SSD in clinical decision making regarding to whether or not incorporating contemporary information technology in daily intervention and, furthermore, benefit the SSD more than using only the multi-task in the real world.

A total of 25 patients were recruited and participated in this study. They underwent 2-stage multi-task training. The first stage training used multi-tasks in the real world; the second stage training used new forms of multi-tasks which is virtual reality video sport games conveyed by Xbox Kinect. The training in each stage last for 12 weeks and there were 2 sessions in each week. The training duration in each session was 40 minutes.

All participants were measured at the following three time points: before any training begins, after the 1st stage of training and after the 2nd stage of training. The outcome measures include: upper limb motor function (measured by Box-and-Block Test), cognitive function (measured by Color Trail Test), functional mobility measured by Timed-Up-and-Go Test, and standing stability in 6 stance conditions, and voluntary center of gravity shifts during Functional Reach Test (measured by Footscan pressure measurement system).


Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

* (1) diagnosed as schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder by senior psychiatrists according to DSM-IV criteria and the disease onset was \>1 year ago, (2) been judged as symptomatically stable by therapists, (3) was free of interfering or uncontrolled behaviors, (4) could stand independently for at least 3 minutes and walk 10 m without any mobility aids, (5) was ≥18 years old during recruitment for this study, (6) willing to participate in the study voluntarily

Exclusion Criteria:

* Patients were excluded if they were diagnosed with musculoskeletal impairment in the past year, had significant visual and auditory impairments, with severe cognitive impairment (based on Mini Mental State Examination score \< 18), or were unable to follow verbal instructions or training and evaluation regimen.