English researchers from the University of Cambridge (United Kingdom) have set up an Ipad game intended to help patients with schizophrenia in their daily life. They have developed an application in the name of Wizard.
Scientists performed an experiment with 22 schizophrenic participants (11 men and 11 women). They formed two groups, one of 10 and another of 12. The first followed his normal medical treatment, without playing, while the second was forced to practice the game on the iPad regularly for four. weeks. To assess the impact of play on the social life of patients, the researchers measured participants’ episodic memory, their pleasure and motivation, and their general well-being.
The findings of the experiment revealed that gaming on the iPad had positive effects on patients. “We found that participants assigned to play with the game had significantly better episodic memories than in the other control group who had not played. Participants also reported that they enjoyed the game and that they were motivated to continue, “says Barbara Sahakian, professor of clinical neuropsychology at the University of Cambridge.
Schizophrenia is a chronic mental illness characterized by difficulties in sharing an interpretation of reality with others, which results in bizarre, sometimes delusional, behaviors and speeches. Schizophrenia is commonly treated by taking neuroleptics (also called antipsychotics) but medical authorities in many countries recommend accompanying this treatment with cognitive and behavioral therapy to relieve the cognitive symptoms associated with the disease (attention disorders, memory, information processing speed). It affects nearly 0.7% of the world’s population, including 600,000 people in France, according to figures from the National Institute of Health. Among its most impressive symptoms are delusions and hallucinations.
Read also:
Schizophrenia: cognitive therapies on the spot
Schizophrenia: the mystery of auditory hallucinations unveiled
Cannabis could cure schizophrenia
