DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A TECHNOLOGICAL ECOSYSTEM FOR THE PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT OF COGNITIVE DECLINE: A MULTIMODAL APPROACH TO PERSONALIZED COGNITIVE STIMULATION AND RISK FACTOR MODIFICATION

THE AGING POPULATION REPRESENTS ONE OF THE MAIN PUBLIC HEALTH CHALLENGES OF THE 21ST CENTURY, LEADING TO A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE INCIDENCE OF AGE-RELATED DISEASES, SUCH AS DEMENTIA OR MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT. IN LIGHT OF THE LIMITATIONS OF PHARMACOLOGICAL INTERVENTIONS ALONE, SCIENTIFIC ATTENTION HAS GRADUALLY SHIFTED TOWARDS NON-PHARMACOLOGICAL STRATEGIES CAPABLE OF PROMOTING COGNITIVE RESERVE BY MODULATING MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS, THEREBY SUPPORTING THE PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING OF OLDER ADULTS. IN THIS CONTEXT, DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES ARE EMERGING AS PROMISING TOOLS FOR EXPANDING THE ACCESSIBILITY, PERSONALIZATION, AND EFFECTIVENESS OF PREVENTIVE AND REHABILITATIVE INTERVENTIONS. HOWEVER, THE LITERATURE HIGHLIGHTS SIGNIFICANT CRITICAL ISSUES: INSUFFICIENT SEMANTIC-AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL PERSONALIZATION, POOR LONG-TERM ADHERENCE, AND LIMITED ALIGNMENT BETWEEN TECHNOLOGICAL DESIGN AND THE PSYCHOLOGICAL NEEDS OF USERS. THIS THESIS ADDRESSES THESE CRITICAL ISSUES THROUGH THE DESIGN, IMPLEMENTATION, AND VALIDATION OF A MULTIMODAL TECHNOLOGICAL ECOSYSTEM FOR THE PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT OF COGNITIVE DECLINE. THE APPROACH INTEGRATES VIRTUAL REALITY, GENERATIVE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SYSTEMS, MULTISENSORY INTERFACES, AND SOCIAL ROBOTICS, WITH THE AIM OF PROMOTING USER ENGAGEMENT, COGNITIVE STIMULATION, AND EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING ACROSS THE ENTIRE HEALTH-ILLNESS CONTINUUM. THREE LINES OF ACTION GUIDE THE PROPOSED RESEARCH: (I) DEVELOPMENT OF USER-CENTERED DIGITAL SYSTEMS FOR COGNITIVE ENHANCEMENT AND LONELINESS REDUCTION; (II) EMPIRICAL EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTS OF AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL PERSONALIZATION ON MEMORY, EMOTIONS, AND MOTIVATION; (III) DEFINITION OF PARTICIPATORY METHODOLOGIES FOR ALIGNING TECHNOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS WITH THE CLINICAL AND RELATIONAL NEEDS OF THE GERIATRIC POPULATION. PRELIMINARY RESULTS SHOW HOW DIFFERENT TECHNOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS CAN SUPPORT COGNITIVE AND EMOTIONAL PROCESSES IN OLDER ADULTS USING MULTIMODAL PERSONALIZATION STRATEGIES. EMERGING EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT THE INTEGRATION OF AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL CONTENT CAN INCREASE ENGAGEMENT, AFFECTIVE RESPONSIVENESS, AND THE OVERALL QUALITY OF THE USER-TECHNOLOGY EXPERIENCE, WHILE PARTICIPATORY APPROACHES ARE ESSENTIAL TO ENSURE THE USABILITY, ACCEPTABILITY, AND SUSTAINABILITY OF INTERVENTIONS OVER TIME. FINALLY, THE THESIS CONVERGES ON A METHODOLOGICAL MODEL THAT GUIDES THE DESIGN OF ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE PREVENTION OF COGNITIVE DECLINE, OUTLINING THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS FOR DIGITAL MENTAL HEALTH AND FUTURE PROSPECTS FOR PERSONALIZED MULTIMODAL SYSTEMS.