New Video game undergoing FDA Trial as potential treatment for ADHD and Autism

Posted on April 15, 2015

I'm driving through a frozen world, where the roads are paved in ice. As I swerve left to avoid a mini iceberg, a red fish flashes at the top of my screen. I'm supposed to tap all the red fish that pop up, but not the green fish or the blue birds. And I have to do this without crashing the car.

As I get better at the game, my brain is being trained to ignore distractions and stay focused in real life. Or at least that’s the hypothesis of the neuroscientists who designed the game.

The brain network that controls multitasking connects with networks that control memory and attention span. So by playing the game, some scientists believe you can improve cognitive skills, and by extension, relieve a range of symptoms associated with attention deficit disorder, and other conditions.

While most start-ups have opted to market and sell their mobile weight loss games and diabetes trackers directly to consumers, Akili has decided to pursue the long, expensive, risky path of clinical trials through the Food and Drug Administration. If successful, their game would be the first to be approved for medical use by the FDA.

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Category(s):Adult ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism spectrum disorders

Source material from KQED Science