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Scientists Study Whether Virtual Reality Can Prevent Cognitive Decline,
Dementia

Elizabeth Lee

   LOS ANGELES - For three days a week, Wayne Garcia has been getting an
   unconventional workout. He starts by putting on a virtual reality (VR)
   headset. He then gets on a specially designed exercise bike and starts
   peddling. He is taking part in a study at the [1]University of Southern
   California's Keck School of Medicine to see if a dose of VR can help
   prevent age-related cognitive decline and dementia.

   "It's very scary that one day that could be me. Grandparents both had
   dementia. My father, he had dementia, as well, and my mom has
   dementia," said Garcia, who painfully remembered his father reading the
   newspaper upside down and almost setting the house on fire by putting a
   towel on the heater.

   "Just the sadness -- you remember what your dad was like, what your mom
   was like when they were all good, and then the decline now. And now
   you're taking care of them rather than when they used to take care of
   you," Garcia said.

References

   1. file://localhost/tmp/lynxXXXXt5amya/thepalab.com

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