Effectiveness of VR-Based Cognitive Training and Games on Cognitive Rehabilitation in Patients With MCI: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Frontiers in Neurology
Yuan, P., Chen, J., et al. (2025).
Frontiers in Neurology, 16, 1691344.
<div>This systematic review with meta-analysis investigates the effects of virtual reality (VR)-based cognitive training and gaming on overall cognitive function in adults, 55 years and older, with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).</div>
National Social Science Fund of China
January 2013 to July 2025
<div>Randomized controlled trials</div>
11
<div>Overall, VR-based cognitive interventions demonstrated significant, moderate improvements in cognitive outcomes (Hedges’s g=0.6) in older adults with MCI. VR games showed greater effects (Hedges’s g=0.68) than cognitive training (Hedges’s g=0.52). Further analysis of the moderating effects of different intervention factors found the following:</div>
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<ul>
<li>The level of VR immersion demonstrated statistically significant, positive moderating effects on cognitive outcomes (coefficient β=0.834), with higher levels of immersion showing an association with greater effects.</li>
<li>Intervention duration and blinding showed meaningful effects, but did not reach statistical significance.</li>
<li>VR intervention type and outcome measurement characteristics showed no effects as moderators.</li>
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<div>Limitations of this review include the paucity of studies, small sample sizes, lack of long-term follow-up data, lack of geographical diversity, inconsistent definitions and measures of VR-immersion levels, and lack of double-blinding across the included studies. Additional multi-center research is needed to investigate long-term efficacy, the effects in culturally diverse populations, and the impact of personalized intervention protocols on cognitive outcomes in adults with MCI.</div>
