The Metaverse for Cognitive Health: A Paradigm Shift

The metaverse, frequently dubbed as “the successor of mobile Internet,” is a paradigm that aims to build an immersive, spatiotemporal, and self-sustained virtual, but realistic world for all age groups. The metaverse is stepping from science fiction into reality due to advances in technologies, such as extended reality, virtual reality, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Everything (IoE), eXtended meta-uni-omni-Verse, and digital twins. Consumer electronics, such as wearables, television, and smartphones are essential components of the metaverse that can be used to accurately collect and measure data concerning user interaction and thereby create an immersive environment. This article discusses the state-of-the-art literature about how the metaverse can be used for improving cognitive health, various scenarios where the metaverse could help doctors to better treat cognitive patients, and finally, future research directions that can realize the potential of the metaverse for cognitive health.