The Effects of Virtual Reality Group Reminiscence Therapy on Agitation, Cognition, Depression and Social Function in Patients With Alzheimer's Disease

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the impact of multisensory virtual reality (VR) group reminiscence therapy on behavioural, cognitive and psychosocial outcomes in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, while evaluating intervention feasibility and safety. METHODS: An assessor-blinded randomised controlled trial was employed. Sixty participants with AD were randomly allocated to either the intervention group (n = 30) or the control group (n = 30). The intervention group underwent VR-based reminiscence sessions twice weekly, each lasting 40 min, for 8 weeks. The control group received routine care. Outcomes were measured before and after the intervention using the NPI-agitation subscale, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) and Short Form-36 (SF-36). Questionnaires including Presence Questionnaire (PQ), Motivation Inventory (IMI) and Virtual Reality Sickness Questionnaire (VRSQ) were used to assess intervention acceptance and side effects. The Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT) was used to evaluate memory specificity. RESULTS: Post-intervention, VR participants showed markedly lower agitation scores (NPI) (4.2 ± 1.9 vs. 1.7 ± 1.2, p < 0.001), MMSE scores (23.5 ± 2.1 vs. 27.1 ± 1.4, p < 0.01), GDS-15 scores (9.8 ± 1.3 vs. 3.1 ± 1.2, p < 0.001) and SF-36 subscales of social function and mental health (both p < 0.05), compared with the control group. PQ and IMI scores indicated high acceptance of the intervention. VRSQ scores showed minor side effects (e.g., eye fatigue < 1.3). AMT results also improved significantly (event specificity: 3.2 vs. 6.2, p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: VR group reminiscence therapy significantly improved agitation, cognition and mood in AD patients and enhanced their quality of life. The method is safe, feasible and provides a novel non-pharmacological option with an interactive and immersive experience.