A) Enhance VR offers a library of mini-games for cognitive training and assessment:
Enhance VR (Virtuleap, virtuleap.com) is a commercial cognitive training and assessment system consisting of short cognitive exercises (hereafter, mini-games) that engage specific cognitive abilities (i.e., memory, task flexibility, information processing, orientation, attention, or problem-solving) and motor control. Using virtual reality (VR) as means to present these cognitive exercises, the Enhance VR app provides a more naturalistic interaction with an ecologically valid, controlled environment1.
Each mini-game is motivated by the mechanics of existing validated neuropsychological tests (e.g., Stroop task, n-back) and designed in cooperation with neuroscientists and game designers to create cognitive exercises that are gamified to maximize user engagement. The mini-games are presented in the form of daily, short (∼10 minutes/session), and cognitively demanding workouts, with each session consisting of a selection of three mini-games.

Enhance VR is designed to be used both in clinical and at-home settings, allowing for remote monitoring of the patients by formal and informal caretakers outside hospitals or research facilities.

B) Longitudinal, regular cognitive training using Enhance VR could provide a dynamic, sensitive digital biomarker for cognitive decline:
Brief cognitive tests, such as the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), are short evaluations to screen for cognitive impairment. While these are reliable to distinguish cognitively impaired individuals from those with healthy cognitive status, they present some shortcomings.

https://virtuleap.com/

• Portugal
• Spain
• United Kingdom
• United States of America

Our application is readily available on virtual reality consumer app stores, with over 36,000 early registered users and a 4.4 satisfaction rating.

This project is aligned with SDG goal 3 and SDG goal 4.

This project connects scientific and research centres with ICTs. They have two initial clinical studies in the motion. 1) United States (NIH-SBIR) focused on mapping the gaming patterns of users suffering from Alzheimer's disease in order to create digital phenotypes that can detect the early onset of cognitive decline. 2) Spain (la Caixa Foundation) to validate whether our solution can slow down cognitive deterioration in those suffering from Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.