Principal Investigator
Vincent Gagnon Shaigetz
National Research Council of Canada (NRC)
Co-investigators
Nushi Choudhury
National Research Council of Canada (NRC)
Project of $166 315 over 2 years
- Supported by CQDM through:
Ministère de l’Économie, de l’Innovation et de l’Énergie du Québec (MEIE) - And by a co-funding partner:
– Novatek International
Challenge: Approximately 12% to 18% of people aged 60 or older will develop mild cognitive impairments (MCI). This condition may impact executive functions (self-regulation of thoughts, feelings, and actions) or memory, and can be a precursor to Alzheimer’s disease. Research shows that it is key to identify and treat MCI in the early stages to slow down the progression of the condition and improve patients’ cognitive functions. Currently, assessment and treatment of MCI require the presence of trained professionals. Unfortunately, treatments for cognitive impairments have become increasingly difficult to access due to the lack of trained professionals and long waiting lists. The situation was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has highlighted the need for effective home-based interventions with remote clinical monitoring and guidance.
Solution: Novatek International, in collaboration with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), has developed a virtual reality (VR) application for assessment and remediation of targeted cognitive deficits. The Novatek VR platform includes cognitive assessment using Novatek International’s Cognistat platform and virtual reality rehabilitation. This project consists of 2 pilot studies: one that will evaluate the impact of relaxation exercises on mood, current stress levels and physiological measures, and a second study that will evaluate the impact of cognitive remediation exercises on cognitive functions.
Expected Achievements/Impact: At the end of this collaborative project, Novatek International and the research team will deliver a new version of the Novatek VR that will offer an unsupervised training solution where patients can complete their treatment at their own rhythm and their convenience. Novatek VR will enable clinicians to provide patients with a home-based personalized treatment that match their cognitive symptoms and monitor their individual progress through a web platform. Novatek VR will bring a large-scale novel tool for assessment and treatment of MCI and other cognitive impairments.
