Video games improve cognitive abilities of MS patients

Playing video games which include an aspect of brain training can strengthen neural connections and improve cognitive abilities in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, according to a recent study published in the journal Radiology.

MS causes damage to the thalamus, a structure in the middle of the brain that acts as an information hub, and its connections with other parts of the brain, and affects an estimated 2.5 million people worldwide.

Researchers, led by Laura De Giglio from the Department of Neurology and Psychiatry at Sapienza University in Rome, used a collection of video games from the Nintendo Corporation called Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training to study patients with cognitive impairment. This took place over an eight-week period as a home-based rehabilitation program consisting of 30-minute gaming sessions, five days per week.

At follow-up, all patients showed significant increases in thalamic functional connectivity in brain areas corresponding to the posterior component of the default mode network, which is one of the most important brain networks involved in cognition. The results provide an example of the brain's plasticity, or ability to form new connections throughout life.