Development of a Mobile Virtual Reality Application based on Morris Water Maze for the Evaluation of Spatial Memory in Human Beings

Abstract

Remembering and learning are important activities for the brain; Spatial memory is related to the capability to acquire and hold associations about what is in the environment. Unfortunately, some factors such as age, drugs, and mental illnesses, among others, lead to the loss of the ability to remember things or events that occur in people’s lives, including spatial memory. There are several tests (Such as radial arm maze task, geometric arena task, and Morris water maze) generally used to evaluate spatial memory in rats and animals. Still, there are not so many tests applicable to human beings. Several researchers have discovered that virtual reality could help with these types of problems. People can be immersed in a virtual world and solve aspects of space. One of the advantages of virtual reality is that people can be analyzed in safe environments. This work presents the development of a mobile application capable of evaluating spatial memory in humans through virtual reality; Taking the bases of the Morris Water Maze. The goal of this application is to have an alternative test to evaluate spatial memory with low-cost and ecological materials, virtual reality, and the advantages of mobile applications. As a pilot test, the application was tested on 18 young students who demonstrated the use of their spatial memory within the application.