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[ Dexter345's blog ]

SCIENCE! Can Brain Age help to combat schizophrenia symptoms?
Dexter345 \| 7:02 PM on 03.25.2009	4 comments

Schizophrenia is something I sometimes worry about myself. It is more likely to affect males than females, and it typically shows its first signs during the late teens to mid-twenties. In other words, I sometimes neurotically think that I could end up schizophrenic tomorrow. And the worst part? I probably wouldn't even realize it.

Luckily, some new research has shown that brain training video games can help to ease certain symptoms in schizophrenics, namely attention and memory deficits, and perhaps more importantly, distortion or complete lack of inhibition. Indeed, this could possibly be the first real tenable study that demonstrates a possibility that playing a video can help to prevent violent behavior.

The study, done at UC San Francisco, involved one group of schizophrenia sufferers to play a brain training game (one developed specifically for research purposes rather than commercially, it seems), while another group played unspecified "ordinary video games," after which both groups were tested with several different cognitive tasks. The test group scored better than the control group on the aforementioned functions, though they showed no statistically significant difference in speed of mental processing or verbal working memory.

Have you written off these brain training games as being a neat little novelty with little real life use? I know I had. Now, though, I may fire up Brain Age again and get into the habit of playing it daily. You know, just in case I become schizophrenic.

[Via Scientific American]

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4 comments | showing # 1 to 4

MechaMonkey says:
(# 0) on 03/25/2009 20:06

I believe I had read that crosswords and other puzzles may also be useful in combating schizophrenia, and Alzheimer's as well. I don't see why Brain Age shouldn't have a similar effect.

de BLOO says:
(# 1) on 03/25/2009 20:07

OH MAI GAWD.

seriously, Your thought process on the matter is spot on to mine.

Ok on topic, This study makes me want to play brain age daily just as you have said.

Great, educational read as always.

CelicaCrazed says:
(# 2) on 03/25/2009 21:07

My brain does feel "exercised" when I do mind problems and such. Maybe that's why I've been feeling off the last few weeks. My brain and body both need a workout!!

NihonTiger90 says:
(# 3) on 03/25/2009 23:27

Always cool to see how games might be able to help those who have problems. Thanks for sharing this with us, Dex :D

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about me
I'm a recent Master's graduate from Caltech with a degree in Chemistry. I'm currently living in Pasadena, CA, with a degree I don't want to use, trying to break into the game industry. I've been reading Destructoid since June of 2006. I'm a huge Nintendo fanboy. I've got far too many posts on the forum. I play all types of games except realistic sports games and real-time strategy games. The former because I think they're boring and the latter because I utterly suck at them. Games I'm currently playing: Crush (PSP) Left 4 Dead (360) Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box (DS) Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters (PSP) Rock Band 2 (360) Rock Band Unplugged (PSP) Games that are on the back burner: BioShock (360, need to go back and get the Achievements I missed) Culdcept SAGA (360, the battles just take way too long) Grand Theft Auto IV (360, it just didn't draw me in like the old games) Ikaruga (XBLA, SO. HARD.) Mario Kart Wii (Wii, I just never feel like playing its single player) The Orange Box (360, just need two more Portal Achievements) Super Mario Galaxy (Wii, need to complete with Luigi) Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii, same issue as with Mario Kart) Games I haven't even touched yet: de Blob (Wii) God of War (PS2) MadWorld (Wii) Metal Gear Solid 1-3 (PS1, PS2) Okami (PS2) Persona 3: FES (PS2) Project Gotham Racing 4 (360) Quantum of Solace (360) Valkyria Chronicles (PS3) Games I have finished 100% during this console generation: Aegis Wing (XBLA) Banjo-Kazooie (XBLA) Bionic Commando: Rearmed (XBLA) Bomberman Live (XBLA) Call of Duty 4 (360) Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (XBLA) Halo 3 (360) Fable II: Pub Games (XBLA) NEVES (DS) Omega Five (XBLA) Pac-Man C.E. (XBLA) Peggle (XBLA) Penny Arcade Adventures Episode 1 (XBLA) Penny Arcade Adventures Episode 2 (XBLA) Picross DS (DS) Professor Layton & the Curious Village (DS) Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (PS3) Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty (PSN) Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition (XBLA) skate. (360) Uno (XBLA) Worms (XBLA) Promoted Blogs: The start of the affair: Earthbound True stories from Destructoid's E3 Intern Bitch 2008 The FEAR: The Red Ring of Death Untapped potential: motion control Checking out Halo 3: ODST through the ODST tour Improving game communities: gaming together