A mobile phone game app can help identify ongoing difficulties in navigating surroundings for survivors of traumatic brain injury, a new study has revealed.
Problems with navigation are common after TBI, but the process of wayfinding is rarely tested in brain injury patients, despite the significant impact this can have on daily life.
Now, a study has used mobile adventure game Sea Hero Quest to test survivors’ navigational abilities and discovered the extent of deficits many experience, which were not revealed through self assessment.
The research from the University of Hertfordshire now opens an avenue for better detection and treatment for people suffering the long-term effects of TBI.
The results also mean that individual patients will be able to get the help they need more easily, while enabling scientists to collect data from a much larger community of participants – a vital aspect of effective brain injury research.
Sea Hero Quest was originally created by game developers Glitchers, in collaboration with academics and game developers from around the world, to help scientists understand how navigational abilities vary with age and gender.
This study is the first time this diagnostic tool has been used on people living with TBI.
Dr Rebecca Knight, senior lecturer in psychology and senior co-author of the paper, explained: “The biggest benefit of this work is that it shows that navigation deficits experienced by TBI patients can be detected using a relatively quick, low-cost method that can be tested remotely – our participants can take part in a certified scientific study while sitting on their sofa.
“Given the heterogeneous nature of traumatic brain injuries, which encompass a huge range of symptoms and experiences, it’s crucial that large numbers of people can be tested in order to draw meaningful conclusions.
“We hope that by using apps like Sea Hero Quest, we can gather a large amount of data and get greater insights into the mechanisms behind this deficit – as well as creating interventions to better support people as they manage long-term impacts of their injury.”
The researchers hope that their findings will open the door to larger-scale studies that will provide more detailed understanding of the mechanisms affected, and potential treatments to improve navigational abilities.
