From the ArcaMax Publishing, Health & Fitness Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/healthtips/s-564011-566661
AUGUSTA, Ga. (UPI) -- Parkinson's patients who played Nintendo Wii
showed a decrease in depression and an increase in agility, the
Medical College of Georgia said.
In an eight-week study, 20 Parkinson's patients who played the
computer game several times a week for an hour improved their
hand-to-eye coordination, sequenced movements and visual perception,
said Dr. Ben Herz, the study's lead researcher.
During the study, most participants' depression levels dropped to
zero, he said. An estimated 45 percent of Parkinson's patients suffer
from depression, though the actual figure is probably much higher,
Herz said.
Playing the Nintendo game likely increases the production of dopamine,
a neurotransmitter deficient in Parkinson's patients, he said.
The game proved to be "a huge treatment tool from an occupational
therapy perspective," Herz said, noting, "Game systems are the future
of rehab.
Sixty percent of the study's participants bought a Wii for themselves
when the study ended, which "speaks volumes for how this made them
feel," Herz said.