Video games can improve brain function in patients with multiple sclerosis

A new study has claimed playing video games can help improve some cognitive abilities of people with multiple sclerosis by strengthening neural connections in an important part of their brains.

According to the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, the disease affects about 2.5 million people worldwide, researchers said.

Researchers led by Laura De Giglio, Sapienza University of Rome, studied the effects of a cognitive rehabilitation program based on the video game in the thalamus in patients with multiple sclerosis.

Twenty-four patients with multiple sclerosis with cognitive impairment were randomly assigned to take part in an eight-week rehabilitation program, home-based – that is play sessions 30 minutes, five days a week – or be put on a waiting list, which serves as the control group.

Patients were evaluated with cognitive and 3-Tesla at rest functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI-RS) at baseline and after the eight-week test period and it was found that playing games really helped them.