Current Research Projects
S.M.A.R.T: Personalized, Home-Based Cognitive-Motor Training Using Exergames to Improve Cognitive and Motor Functioning in Frail Adults
Amid growing demands for rehabilitation and shortages in the healthcare workforce, scalable and motivating interventions are urgently needed. Cognitive-motor training, particularly through exergames, offers a promising solution by integrating cognitive tasks with physical activity in an engaging and accessible home-based format.
Within the scope of the PROHEALTH project, the “S.M.A.R.T: Personalized, Home-Based Cognitive-Motor Training Using Exergames to Improve Cognitive and Motor Functioning in Frail Adults” trial will take place.
This international, multicenter, pragmatic, randomized controlled trial evaluates the effectiveness of personalized, home-based cognitive-motor training using exergames to improve cognitive and motor function in frail older adults.
Funding:
This project is funded by the European Partnership on Transforming Health and Care Systems (THCS) under the Horizon Europe Programme (Funding Agreement Number: FP-1516).
Principal Investigator: Dr. Eleftheria Giannouli
Trial Sites:
- ETH Zurich/University Hospital Zurich (Zurich, Switzerland)
- Don Carlo Gnocchi Foundation (Milan, Italy)
- Alma Mater Europaea University/General Hospital Izola (Koper/Izola, Slovenia)
- Materia Agecare (Nicosia, Cyprus)
- Saint Vincent De Paul long term care facility (Luqa, Malta)
Combined cognitive-sensorimotor training on movable ground in stroke inpatients
This project aims to develop and evaluate an innovative training system that integrates cognitive-sensorimotor exergaming with a movable platform. The hardware and accompanying software (a training game) are specifically designed to promote dynamic balance, proprioception, and neuromuscular coordination in neurological rehabilitation.
As part of the project, the SwingIT Stroke Trial will assess the feasibility and effectiveness of exergame-based cognitive-motor training on a labile surface in improving physical and cognitive functioning among stroke inpatients.
Funding:
This project is supported by Innosuisse – The Swiss Innovation Agency (InnoLink: 100.839 IP-LS).
Project Partners:
- Research Lead: Dr. Eleftheria Giannouli, ETH Zurich, Department of Health Sciences and Technology
- Development Lead: Dr. Silvia Rohner, Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences (OST), Institute of Lab Automation and Mechatronics
- Implementation Partner: Dr. Manuela Adcock, Dividat AG
- Clinical Partner: Rehaklinik Zihlschlacht
Prescription of cognitive-motor exergaming in residents of long-term care facilities with cognitive impairments (X-GameCare)
This study aims to develop a conceptual framework for integrating exergame training into long-term care facilities, by selecting appropriate games based on motor and cognitive functioning profiles and determining the optimal level of support for older adults with neurocognitive disorders using machine learning.
xGameCare is a crossectional study in cooperation with following long-term care facilities:
- Begegnungs- und Pflegezentrum Holbeinhof (Basel)
- Stiftung Wohnen im Alter Hinwil
- Senevita Mühlibach (Buchs-Dällikon)
- Pflegezentrum im Spitz (Kloten)
- Alterszentrum Adlergarten (Winterthur)
- Adullam Pflegezentrum Basel
- Adullam Pflegezentrum Riehen
Funding:
This project is funded by the Alois & Auguste Foundation
Principal Investigator: Dr. Eleftheria Giannouli
StepIT TBI: Feasibility of a Motor-Cognitive Training Program in Patients with Traumatic Brain Injury during Acute Hospitalization
This project investigates the feasibility of "StepIt"—a motor-cognitive training program combining rhythmic stepping patterns with metronome-paced timing—in patients with mild to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) during acute hospitalization. The study focuses on the program’s safety, patient acceptance, user evaluations, and training performance.
StepIT TBI is a single-arm, monocentric intervention study conducted in collaboration with the Cantonal Hospital of St. Gallen (KSSG).
Principal Investigator: Dr. Eleftheria Giannouli
EMGames: Lower Extremity Muscle Activity During Exergames with Varying Movement Demands in Older Adults
This cross-sectional study examines the activation of key lower-leg muscles in older adults during exergames that vary in movement demands—such as weight shifting, multidirectional stepping, stepping in place, and walking. While exergaming is increasingly used in rehabilitation to improve balance, strength, and cognitive function in older adults, the specific muscular demands of different exergames have not been systematically compared.
The primary aim is to characterize muscle activity patterns in the lower extremities across various exergames. A secondary aim is to assess and compare the activity levels of individual muscles across the different game types.
The study is conducted in collaboration with the nursing home “Seniorenzentrum Cadonau bei Chur.
Principal Investigator: Dr. Eleftheria Giannouli
Normative Values for a Novel Cognitive-Motor Assessment
This study aims to establish the first normative dataset for a set of innovative cognitive-motor assessments designed to measure processing speed and executive functioning using the lower limbs. Such lower-limb-based assessments offer greater ecological validity than traditional hand-response-based neuropsychological tests, as they better reflect real-world functional demands in older adults.
NOVA-COMA is a cross-sectional study conducted in collaboration with the Adlergarten Nursing Home Facility (Winterthur, Switzerland).
Principal Investigator: Dr. Eleftheria Giannouli