Issues for the assessment of visuospatial skills in older adults using Virtual Environment technology

Virtual Environment (VE) technology offers clinical assessment and rehabili tation options that are currently not available using traditional neuropsyc hological methods. Advancements in this type of immersive information techn ology could produce tools that enhance the scientific study of human cognit ive/functional processes and improve our capacity to more accurately assess and treat impairments found in persons with central nervous system (CNS) d ysfunction. Through the creation of dynamic three-dimensional (3D) stimulus environments, in which all behavioral responding can be recorded, VE techn ology offers the possibility to more sensitively address a range of age-rel ated CNS disorders including Alzheimer's Disease, Vascular Dementia, Parkin son's Disease, and stroke. Advances in this area could impact quality of li fe issues for an increasingly aging world population. The VE Laboratory at the University of Southern California has developed a suite of ImmersaDesk- format, 3D projection-based VEs. These scenarios target assessment of visuo spatial skills including visual field-specific reaction time, depth percept ion, 3D field dependency (virtual rod and frame test), static and dynamic m anual target tracking in 3D space, and spatial rotation. The current projec t tested healthy older adults (ages of 65 and 92). Participants were admini stered a standard neuropsychological battery and a suite of VE-delivered vi suospatial tasks. Issues addressed in this project include: the occurrence of VE-related side effects in healthy older adults; the relationship betwee n performance on VE measures and standard neuropsychological tests; the ass essment of gender specific performance differences; the relationship betwee n immersive tendencies, presence ratings, and VE performance in older adult s; learning and generalization; and VE visuospatial performance differences between younger and older participants. This article will address the moti vation, rationale, and relevant issues for use of VEs with older adults. A description of our VE system/methodology in the context of a recent study t argeting assessment and possible rehabilitation of visuospatial skills with this population will then be detailed.