(image: Korea Bizwire)
SEOUL, Feb. 25 (Korea Bizwire) — Video games specially developed to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are capable of increasing the blood flow that is lacking in certain parts of the brain, a study showed Thursday.
A research team from Chung-Ang University Hospital created a game co-developed by public agencies and private companies and asked 30 participants to play it for 30 minutes each day, over the span of four weeks.
The software included ‘journal writing’ and ‘letter copying’ as part of cognitive behavior therapy, followed by ‘memory training’ and ‘time guessing’.
At the end of the game, participants played a ‘running game’ that requires them to engage in multi-tasking, followed by an ‘airplane game’ that focuses on controlling physical force.
“During the memory game and letter copying stage, we saw an increasing amount of blood flow in the left dorsal frontal lobe, a region known to be less active among ADHD patients. During the running game and the airplane game, the blood flow increased in the right dorsal frontal lobe,” said Han Duk-hyun, a professor of psychiatry at Chung-Ang University Hospital.
“The four-week experiment resulted in a significant improvement in the level of attention among participants, as well as lower anxiety and aggressive behavior,” he added.
The research team explained that ADHD treatment using gaming software was similar to treating gaming addiction.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
