JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Exergames are interactive solutions that require physical activity to improve the gaming experience, mostly used in learning or rehabilitation. For cognitive rehabilitation with exergames, the assessment of the intervention progress can be made by verifying the changes in brain activity. Electroencephalography (EEG) is a well-known method to perform this evaluation. However, motion artifacts due to large body movements can hinder signal quality. No compendium on the removal methods of these “large” artifacts has been found.

Objective:

This paper aims to identify those studies that have measured EEG signals while a user interacts with an exergame and the applied methods for data handling and analysis with a focus on dealing with movement artifacts through a systematic review.

Methods:

Seven databases were searched. This study has been pre-registered with PROSPERO, CRD42020208131.

Results:

332 records were screened, resulting in 12 included papers. Due to the small number of studies and their heterogeneity, a meta-analysis was not feasible.

Conclusions:

The EEG signal has been measured while physical activity was generated from the player's interaction with an exergame with effects on cognitive domains. After identifying the limitations found in the few included studies, a list of aspects that can improve the reporting of future similar studies was obtained.