Efficiency of CogniPlat on Cognitive Functions in Older Adults

Investigation of the Efficiency of the Cogniplat Gaming Platform on Cognitive Functions in Geriatric Individuals: a Randomized Controlled Trial

Mild cognitive impairment is a common intermediate stage between normal aging and dementia, affecting memory and other cognitive domains in older adults. While pharmacologic treatments lack strong evidence, exercise, cognitive training, and game-based interventions have shown positive effects on cognitive functions. The Cogniplat gaming platform, designed to improve cognitive abilities through personalized, multidisciplinary game exercises, has not yet been clinically evaluated. The present study aims to assess the effectiveness of Cogniplat in enhancing cognitive functions in geriatric individuals.

Mild cognitive impairment may occur with physiological aging in geriatric individuals. This describes an intermediate stage from normal cognitive status to dementia. In mild cognitive impairment, there is cognitive impairment in both memory and non-memory domains. Anxiety, depression and other adverse mental health conditions also lead to decreased cognitive functioning. The risk of mild cognitive impairment turning into dementia is quite high. Therefore, diagnosis, follow-up and treatment are important issues. Mild cognitive impairment is common in geriatric populations. Its prevalence increases with age and low education level. The incidence of mild cognitive impairment in geriatric individuals aged 65 years and older is 15-20%.

There is no high quality evidence showing the efficacy of pharmacologic agents in the treatment of mild cognitive impairment. There are also studies showing that exercise and cognitive training have an improving effect on cognitive functions. Cognitive games also have a stimulating effect on memory and communication in these individuals. Game-based education reduces the risk of mild cognitive impairment and depression by stimulating the cerebral cortex and also motivates older adults to participate in treatment. Computer-based cognitive gaming training has been found to have positive effects on attention ability and memory development in this population.

The Cogniplat game platform used in the study is a rehabilitation tool developed to improve the cognitive functions of elderly individuals. Cogniplat is based on a multidisciplinary approach combining theories from neuropsychology, cognitive linguistics and speech therapy. It focuses on improving cognitive functions through different game exercises. In addition, Cogniplat automatically adjusts the difficulty and type of exercises by detecting the cognitive needs of individuals. In the literature, the Cogniplat game platform has been developed, but no studies evaluating its effectiveness have been found. Therefore, the present study was planned to examine the effect of the "Cogniplat" game platform on cognitive functions in geriatric individuals.

Inclusion Criteria:

• To volunteer to participate in the study
• To be over 65 years old
• had a mini-mental test score above 24
• could use smartphones and tablets
• To have sufficient reading and writing skills to use the gaming platform
• To have good cooperation skills and not have a disease causing vision loss

Exclusion Criteria:

• Individuals with orthopedic or neurological conditions that prevent the use of a tablet with the upper extremities
• Individuals who are unable to maintain sitting balance
• Individuals with hearing loss that may prevent them from hearing information related to the gaming platform