Publication Abstract Display
Type: Poster
Title: Effects of HIV, Meth, and age on a novel virtual reality measure of everyday functioning (The Virtual Reality Functional Assessment Tool - VRFCAT).
Authors: Hussain M, Morgan E, Watson CWM, Villalobos J, Minassian A, Heaton R, Grant I, Iudicello J, and the TMARC Group
Date: 08-03-2017
Abstract:Preliminary support for the VRFCAT to be an ecologically valid and sensitive tool for detecting HIV and METH-associated functional impairment, particuarly in younger adults. However, may be less sensitive to HIV/METH effects in older adults given the VRFCAT’s sensitivity to age-associated effects. Demonstrated good convergent validity with neurocognitive measures and good concurrent validity with other performance-based and self-report meaures. Future Directions: use larger sample sizes to further elucidate VRFCAT sensitivity, conduct equivalency studies of the the six parallel versions of the task, and create composite performance scores to examine potential floor effects, particularly in the older adults. Significance: VRFCAT may be used in development of targeted neurocognitve rehabilitation strategies aimed at remediating functional impairement in HIV/METH, and may be more efficient and ecologically valid functional assessment than current measures.

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