Games for health journal
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Games for health journal · Oct 2017
ReviewEmerging Utility of Virtual Reality as a Multidisciplinary Tool in Clinical Medicine.
Among the more recent products borne of the evolution of digital technology, virtual reality (VR) is gaining a foothold in clinical medicine as an adjunct to traditional therapies. Early studies suggest a growing role for VR applications in pain management, clinical skills training, cognitive assessment and cognitive therapy, and physical rehabilitation. ⋯ Through computer-generated, life-like digital landscapes, VR stands to change the current approach to pain management, medical training, neurocognitive diagnosis, and physical rehabilitation. Additional studies are needed to help define best practices in VR utilization, and to explore new therapeutic uses for VR in clinical practice.
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An acute bout of moderate-to-vigorous exercise temporarily reduces pain sensitivity in healthy adults. Recently, active gaming has been rising in popularity as a means of light-to-moderate exercise and may be particularly suitable for deconditioned individuals. Whether the physical activity elicited in active games can produce a hypoalgesic effect remains unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine whether active videogames can reduce pressure and heat pain sensitivity in healthy adults. We also evaluated the relationship between the physical activity elicited by the games and the magnitude of the hypoalgesic response. ⋯ These results suggest that an active gaming session played at a moderate intensity is capable of temporarily reducing pain sensitivity.
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Games for health journal · Feb 2017
Review Case ReportsVideogame-Related Illness and Injury: A Review of the Literature and Predictions for Pokémon GO!
Reports of videogame-related illness and injury soon emerged in the literature with the inception of videogame systems and subsequent development of novel gaming platforms and technologies. In an effort to better detail the impacts of these phenomena and provide recommendations for injury prevention as it relates to Pokémon Go and the larger world of augmented reality games, we conducted an extensive systems-based review of past trends in videogame-related illness and injury from the literature. ⋯ As videogames become increasingly advanced and immersive, they expose players to unique and often more serious injury and illness. Augmented reality games, such as Pokémon GO, are the next step in the evolution of this trend and likely portend a future in which many pathologic processes may become increasingly common.
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Games for health journal · Feb 2017
How to Train an Injured Brain? A Pilot Feasibility Study of Home-Based Computerized Cognitive Training.
Computerized cognitive training programs have previously shown to be effective in improving cognitive abilities in patients suffering from traumatic brain injury (TBI). These studies often focused on a single cognitive function or required expensive hardware, making it difficult to be used in a home-based environment. This pilot feasibility study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of a newly developed, home-based, computerized cognitive training program for adolescents who suffered from TBI. Additionally, feasibility of study design, procedures, and measurements were examined. ⋯ Our pilot study shows that a longitudinal intervention study comprising our novel, computerized cognitive training program and two follow-up assessments is feasible in adolescents suffering from TBI in the chronic stage. Future studies with larger sample sizes will evaluate training-related effects on cognitive functions and underlying brain structures.
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Games for health journal · Jun 2016
Circumplex Model of Affect: A Measure of Pleasure and Arousal During Virtual Reality Distraction Analgesia.
Immersive virtual reality (VR) distraction provides clinically effective pain relief and increases subjective reports of "fun" in medical settings of procedural pain. The goal of this study was to better describe the variable of "fun" associated with VR distraction analgesia using the circumplex model (pleasure/arousal) of affect. ⋯ Immersive VR distraction reduces subjective pain intensity induced by multimodal experimental nociception. Subjects who report less anxiety, more fun, more VR presence, and more positive emotional valence during VR distraction are more likely to report subjective pain reduction. These findings indicate VR distraction analgesia may be mediated through anxiolytic, attentional, and/or affective mechanisms.