Fed2 Star - the newsletter for the space trading game Federation 2

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by ibgames

EARTHDATE: April 9, 2017

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REAL LIFE NEWS: PLAYING TETRIS HELPS WITH PTSD

by Hazed

Playing Tetris after experiencing a traumatic event can help to alleviate the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a report.

Researchers in the UK, Germany and Sweden found that patients who were given the game to play in the hours following a serious auto accident experienced fewer early symptoms associated with PTSD.

In the study, 71 patients who had been involved in car accidents as drivers, passengers or pedestrians who came to the emergency room at John Radcliffe Hospital were given a Nintendo DS handheld console running Tetris and asked to play it during the hours after the accident, which is when early memories of a traumatic incident can start to cause PTSD.

The study found that a week later, those who had played Tetris reported experiencing fewer disruptive memories over the course of their day that those who did not play the computer game.

The reason, researchers think, is that the mild brain stimulation provided by Tetris draws the mind away from dwelling on the memories of the event, so it’s less likely to create the disruptive memories of the event that are associated with PTSD.

This could lead to more effective psychological treatments that could be used after serious trauma. Perhaps paramedics should carry consoles along with their medical equipment!

The researchers want to extend the studies to cover longer periods of time to see if these positive effects last.

Source: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/03/30/researchers_slow_ptsd_onset_with_tetris/

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