Effects of environmental enrichment on nicotine-induced cross-sensitization to d-amphetamine

Background: Environmental enrichment involves organisation of the environment and provision of equipment to facilitate engagement in physical, cognitive and social activity. In animals with stroke, it promotes brain plasticity and recovery. Aims: To assess the feasibility and safety of a patient-driven model of environmental enrichment incorporating access to communal and individual environmental enrichment. Methods: A non-randomised cluster trial with blinded measurement involving people with stroke (n=193) in 4 rehabilitation units was carried out. Feasibility was operationalised as activity 10 days after admission to rehabilitation and availability of environmental enrichment. Safety was measured as falls and serious adverse events. Benefit was measured as clinical outcomes at 3 months, by an assessor blinded to group. Results: The experimental group (n=91) spent 7% (95% CI -14 to 0) less time inactive, 9% (95% CI 0 to 19) more time physically, and 6% (95% CI 2 to 10) more time socially active than the control group (n=102). Communal environmental enrichment was available 100% of the time, but individual environmental enrichment was rarely within reach (24%) or sight (39%). There were no between-group differences in serious adverse events or falls at discharge or 3 months nor in clinical outcomes at 3 months. Conclusions: This patient-driven model of environmental enrichment was feasible and safe. However, the very modest increase in activity by people with stroke, and the lack of benefit in clinical outcomes 3 months after stroke do not provide justification for an efficacy trial. Clinical Trial Registration: ANZCTR 12613000796785 Words: 245

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Virtual reality video game improves high-fidelity memory in older adults

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-82109-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Peter E. Wais ◽

Melissa Arioli ◽

Roger Anguera-Singla ◽

Adam Gazzaley

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Virtual Reality ◽

Video Game ◽

Cognitive Abilities ◽

Environmental Enrichment ◽

Cognitive Intervention ◽

Therapeutic Interventions ◽

Placebo Control ◽

Long Term Memory ◽

High Fidelity

AbstractTherapeutic interventions have not yet been shown to demonstrate restorative effects for declining long-term memory (LTM) that affects many healthy older adults. We developed a virtual reality (VR) spatial wayfinding game (Labyrinth-VR) as a cognitive intervention with the hypothesis that it could improve detailed, high-fidelity LTM capability. Spatial navigation tasks have been used as a means to achieve environmental enrichment via exposure to and learning about novel and complex information. Engagement has been shown to enhance learning and has been linked to the vitality of the LTM system in the brain. In the current study, 48 older adults (mean age 68.7 ± 6.4 years) with average cognitive abilities for their age were randomly assigned to 12 h of computer game play over four weeks in either the Labyrinth-VR or placebo control game arms. Promptly before and after each participant’s treatment regimen, high-fidelity LTM outcome measures were tested to assess mnemonic discrimination and other memory measures. The results showed a post-treatment gain in high-fidelity LTM capability for the Labyrinth-VR arm, relative to placebo, which reached the levels attained by younger adults in another experiment. This novel finding demonstrates generalization of benefits from the VR wayfinding game to important, and untrained, LTM capabilities. These cognitive results are discussed in the light of relevant research for hippocampal-dependent memory functions.

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