The effects of playing the COSMA cognitive games in dementia

Abstract

Brain Training games are increasingly gaining attention as a non-pharmacological intervention to promote well-being and quality of life in people living with dementia.  Herein we present the COSMA software and a pilot study to evaluate its impact on the emotions of people in the spectrum of dementia. The software was created in accordance to the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines as a ‘brain-stimulating’ software for use by people with cognitive impairment i.e., mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and early dementia. The pilot study aims to investigate whether the current COSMA game designs have an impact on emotions in people with MCI and early dementia. The emotional evaluation before and after playing COSMA games was carried out using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). Our findings demonstrated a small, but significant increase in positive emotions (MCI: p= 0.041; early dementia: p= 0.042) and decrease in negative emotions (MCI: p= 0.001; early dementia: p< 0.001). These preliminary results showed that people with MCI and early dementia experienced positive emotions while playing the COSMA games, suggesting that people with cognitive impairment may benefit from using the COSMA software regularly.