New Canadian Study Shows Video Games May Improve Stroke Outcomes
A Canadian research group has discovered that playing video games while recovering after a stroke appears to promote arm strength and function. The new study findings were published in the April 7 online edition of the journal Stroke.
The University of Toronto group, lead by researcher Dr. Gustavo Saposnik, director of the Stroke Outcomes Research Unit at St. Michael’s Hospital says that “virtual reality may provide an affordable, enjoyable and effective alternative to intensify treatment and promote motor recovery after stroke.”
The study, a meta-analysis of studies involving video game use in upper extremity stroke rehabilitation, reviewed 12 studies that included a total of 195 patients, aged 26 to 88 years, who had suffered a mild to moderate stroke. Each study reported the effects of games on hand, arm and shoulder function and strength.
The 12 studies were broken down into the following:
Study Results
Observational Trial Results – Those stroke patients playing virtual reality games improved their upper arm strength by 14.7% and motor function by 20%.
Randomized Trials – Those stroke patients playing virtual reality games had a 4.89 times greater chance of improving arm strength compared with those who underwent standard rehabilitation.
Treatments varied between studies. The typical duration of “video game treatment”, however, lay between 20 to 30 hours over a four to six week time period. The video game systems included the following:
- Glasstron
- IREX
- Playstation Eye Toy
- Virtual Teacher
- CyberGlove
- VR Motion
- PneuGlove
- Nintendo Wii
Dr. Saposnik noted that several of the studies included combination therapy, augmenting standard therapy with video game therapy, which he claims may have skewed the results. He is, however, optimistic about this new form of treatment:
“Our study confirms the potential benefit of virtual reality in stroke rehabilitation identified in small studies. Further larger randomized trials are needed before changing practice. However, we are [going] in the right direction” – Dr. Saposnik, University of Toronto
Mechanisms of Stroke Recovery
Some studies suggest that video gaming may help stroke patients because of the brain’s unusual potential for reorganizing itself, a process called neuroplasticity, in which it creates new nerve cell connections. Recent research suggests that optimal neuroplasticity is obtained when a patient performs challenging, repetitive, task-specific, novel and motivating tasks.
Unfortunately, many stroke patients don’t get into rehab programs and are never given the chance to attain any kind of significant recovery. Dr. Ralph L. Sacco, president of the American Heart Association and chair of neurology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, suggests that benefit from “innovative outpatient rehab approaches.”
Sources: Stroke Journal