Exergaming for Physical and Cognitive Activity (EPCA)

Interventions that combine physical activity with cognitive tasks and decision-making promote the development of both motor and cognitive function. Therefore, the use of exergames in the health care sector may be beneficial to increase both physical activity and cerebral activity, thus providing improved cognitive function. An important field of practical application of simultaneous motor-cognitive training is fall prevention in elderly. Exergaming, being able to improve both physical and cognitive abilities and to train both parts simultaneously, has therefore large potential as a fall preventive exercise. This application aims to further contribute to the existing evidence of exergaming in older adults and the potential implementation in fall prevention. Furthermore, a specific focus will be set on the cognitive demands of exergaming and its effect on the level of brain activity. The current project will be conducted in two phases. In a cross-sectional approach (PHASE 1), brain activity will be compared while playing different balance exergames (static vs. dynamic) in older adults using EEG. The findings will be transferred to a longitudinal approach (PHASE 2). This will exclude the novelty effect of playing an exergame and can describe how the cognitive demands change over a longer period of exergaming. The latter has not been studied before, even though this information is crucial for the development of future intervention programs to prevent falls in elderly.