Feasibility of a Cognitive Training Game in Parkinson's Disease: The Randomized Parkin'Play Study

Abstract

Cognitive training (CT) shows modest positive effects on cognitive function in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Gamification may enhance adherence to traditional CT, but this has not been studied yet. Here, we investigated the feasibility of a gamified CT. We performed a randomized controlled trial including PD patients with mild cognitive impairment. Participants were randomly allocated to a 12-week home-based gamified CT intervention or waiting-list control group. Assessments were performed at baseline and at weeks 12 and 24. Forty-one patients were included (21 intervention and 20 waiting-list controls). Sixty-three percent of the intervention group trained >50% of the recommended sessions, while 81% voluntarily continued training after 12 weeks. After 24 weeks, 87.5% graded the game to be satisfactory. Global cognition scores improved after 24 weeks. Home-based gamified CT shows acceptable feasibility in patients with PD, and we observed preliminary indications for efficacy. Larger trials are needed to establish this efficacy.