Systemic Lisbon Battery: Normative Data for Memory and Attention Assessments

BACKGROUND: Memory and attention are two cognitive domains pivotal for the performance of instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs). The assessment of these functions is still widely carried out with pencil-and-paper tests, which lack ecological validity. The evaluation of cognitive and memory functions while the patients are performing IADLs should contribute to the ecological validity of the evaluation process. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to establish normative data from virtual reality (VR) IADLs designed to activate memory and attention functions. METHODS: A total of 243 non-clinical participants carried out a paper-and-pencil Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and performed 3 VR activities: art gallery visual matching task, supermarket shopping task, and memory fruit matching game. The data (execution time and errors, and money spent in the case of the supermarket activity) was automatically generated from the app. RESULTS: Outcomes were computed using non-parametric statistics, due to non-normality of distributions. Age, academic qualifications, and computer experience all had significant effects on most measures. Normative values for different levels of these measures were defined. CONCLUSIONS: Age, academic qualifications, and computer experience should be taken into account while using our VR-based platform for cognitive assessment purposes.