HEALTH AND WELLBEING
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Artmorph’s LED panels combine natural elements with digital imagery to provide wellness-enhancing spaces
found that, after wearing the headset for six months, patients demonstrated a 77% and 76% reduction in the decline of daily function and cognitive function respectively, as well as a 69% decrease in brain volume loss. In other words, most headset wearers fared notably better than non-wearers, experiencing a less- intense cognitive decline and prolonging their ability to stay both mentally and physically alert. It’s increasingly apparent that AV headsets are a crucial tool in preserving wellbeing – aiding those with common mental and physical health conditions, as well as those with more serious impairments. Cognito is currently amid its second study, Hope, which investigates the headset’s efficacy in specific cases of mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s. As scientists grow to better understand its inner workings, Cognito’s headset can potentially target and treat other cognitive conditions including Parkinson’s, epilepsy or amnesia. SIT BACK, RELAX Film is an obvious yet overlooked AV experience, as it tends to occupy a category of its own. Today, it is increasingly common to see relaxed screenings listed when browsing for cinema tickets. These are aimed at neurodiverse populations who may benefit from certain accessibility
While a virtual rehab offers several potential benefits, there are associated drawbacks and barriers – including practical considerations such as internet access, cost of the tech and data privacy, as well as the lack of emotional support normally provided by a clinician. For this reason, it’s recommended that virtual rehab serves as a treatment supplement rather than a full replacement. NO-BRAINER While VR headsets certainly have a place in healthcare, other types of headsets – including those developed by Cognito Therapeutics – are entering the medical field. Cognito’s headset provides a non-invasive treatment for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease. Developed by Cognito founders Ed Boyden and Li-Huei Tsai, the headset ‘delivers proprietary visual and auditory stimulation designed to preserve brain structure and function’ to adults with Alzheimer’s. By evoking gamma wave activity in the brain, the headset slows the progression of Alzheimer’s without any serious side effects. Individuals can wear the fitted headset anywhere at any time, so long as they do so for one hour each day. The Cognito headset is tailored to its wearer, based on that patient’s tolerance for light and sound intensity. Through a series of clinical research studies, Cognito
VR takes remote healthcare further. In cases of exposure therapy, a patient is (safely) exposed to their source of fear or anxiety until they overcome it”
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