Researchers at the Medical College of Georgia (USA) have noticed that the health of people suffering from Parkinson’s disease improves markedly when patients play the new Nintendo Wii Sports game system: its remote control broadcasts human movements to the screen, where they become game events.
About 30 thousand of our compatriots fall ill with Parkinson’s disease every year. Moreover, this disease is noticeably «younger»: its symptoms — muscle tremor, mincing gait, bent body position — are increasingly manifested for the first time at 35-40 years old. Researchers at the Medical College of Georgia (USA) have noticed that health improves markedly when patients play the new Nintendo Wii Sports game system: its remote control broadcasts human movements to the screen, where they become game events. “We observed the well-being of those who simulated playing tennis, bowling and boxing three times a week for about an hour for a month,” says study leader rehabilitation physician Ben Herz (Ben Herz). — And each of them (to varying degrees) has improved overall muscle tone, fine motor skills, motor skills. In most patients, signs of depression also disappeared (approximately 45% of patients with parkinsonism suffer from it). Scientists have found that video games stimulated the synthesis of dopamine *, inhibited the development of the disease, and generally improved the quality of life. Researchers are confident that video game systems are the future of rehabilitation programs for such patients.
* Dopamine is a hormone that is responsible for transmitting the electrical signal associated with positive emotions. Reduced production of this hormone is one of the main causes of Parkinson’s disease.