People are usually deterred from playing video games because outdoor activities are healthier, but new research has shown that "brain-training" video games may be beneficial for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).

The study, published online in the journal Radiology, has shown that the video games improve some of the cognitive abilities of MS patients. They work by strengthening neural connections in the part of the brain called the thalamus, which acts as the information hub.

For the study, researchers 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. The games include puzzles, word memory and other mental challenges.
The researchers randomly assigned 24 MS patients with cognitive impairment to either be a part of an eight-week rehabilitation program that involved 30-minute gaming sessions five days per week or to be put on a wait list and serve as the control group.

After the eight weeks, both groups were evaluated with cognitive tests and 3T resting-state functional MR imaging. Functional MR allowed the researchers to study which brain regions were simultaneously active and gave information on the participation of certain areas with specific brain circuits.

They found that the 12 patients who were part of the video game group experienced dramatic increases in thalamic functional connectivity in areas of the brain that are involved in cognition.

The results of this study provide an example of the brain's ability to form new connections throughout life. Video gaming can change the mode of operation of certain brain structures.

"This means that even a widespread and common use tool like video games can promote brain plasticity and can aid in cognitive rehabilitation for people with neurological diseases, such as multiple sclerosis," Dr. Laura De Giglio, lead author of the study, said in a statement.

Going forward, the researchers are hoping to study whether the plasticity induced by video games in MS patients is also connected to improvement in other aspects of their lives. They are also planning on studying how the video games can be incorporated into rehabilitation programs.

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