Abstract
Cancer-induced cognitive impairment is a critical issue for cancer survivors. It has a clear negative impact on the quality of life of cancer survivors. A growing body of literature has substantiated that brain exercises can improve cognitive functions and lower the symptoms of anxiety and depression, although the neural plasticity of human brains diminishes with growing age. Gamification, which is the adaptation of game characteristics and elements into non-game concepts to achieve a goal or overcome a problem, can also employ some psychological strategies such as helping to focus on a virtually appealing environment cognitively to positively manage the issue. Studies that implemented gamification for brain exercises with the appropriate consideration of the principles of neural plasticity have yielded significant evidence supporting the efficacy of evidence-based brain exercises in clinical settings in combating cancer-induced cognitive impairment. In this paper, we have reviewed pertinent studies on cancer-induced cognitive impairment and have further discussed how the gamification of brain exercises could be utilized for cancer survivors.
Keywords:
Cognitive decline, cancer survivors, chemotherapy, cognition, memory, neuronal plasticity
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