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Comments: 122 +- Science: Wii Boosts Parkinson's Treatments on Friday June 12, @10:02AM
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kdawson
on Friday June 12, @10:02AM
from the name-was-inevitable dept.
from the name-was-inevitable dept.
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games
mmmscience writes "Scientists are investigating the use of Wii Sports as a form of treatment for Parkinson's sufferers. After a four-week study, researchers found that rounds of tennis, bowling, and boxing improved rigidity, movement, fine motor skills, and energy levels as well as decreasing the occurrence of depression. It is thought that combining exercise with video games helps to increase levels of dopamine, a chemical that is deficient in Parkinson's. The therapy is gaining notoriety under the name Wii-hab."
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...lol (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:...lol (Score:5, Interesting)
The great thing about today's video games are the reward schedules that make games so damn addictive. These rewards cause dopamine release, which helps offset Parkinson's.
What I wonder is if there's a "Flowers for Algernon" type effect -- like with Levadopa, is tolerance built up quickly? Do patients doing Wii-hab for Parkinson's need to take a "Wii holiday" the same way Parkinson's patients on Levadopa need to take a drug holiday to reset their tolerance?
Parent
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Exactly. I mostly think of RPGs as a pointless waste of time (apart from the community aspect), because of the grinding often required to get anywhere. The weird thing is though, that when I do play those types of games I still find it easy to get addicted. Combining RPG gameplay with an exercise plan would be an easy way to make it feel more worthwhile.
In the same way, I taught myself to play drums as my friends and I wanted to start a band but we were all guitarists. Once the band fell apart I hardly ever
Re:...lol (Score:5, Informative)
No need to make exercise fun. Exercise is like sex, when you're doing it your body is spewing dopamine, endorphins, and bodily fluids in all directions. If you're doing it right, it feels great.
The trick is getting yourself to start exercising in the first place. A sufficiently addictive game would be a good incentive. The best incentive I ever had was a girl in my neighborhood who ran at roughly the same time every day in nothing but skimpy spandex.
Parent
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did you ever 'catch up' to her?
I agree though, it's all about making a good incentive. The wii happens to be an easy one, so I see nothing wrong with that. People used super nintendo and other systems prior, so this is not a new idea. It's just more involved and simpler now.
Re:...lol (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm a bit weird. The more beautiful I think a girl is, the less inclined I am to talk to her...Not because I'm intimidated, but because I worry that she'll open her mouth and say something moronic, and that'll spoil it.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
there's nothing worse (Score:5, Insightful)
than seeing a hot chick, taking in her attractiveness
and then she brings a cigarette to her mouth
instant killjoy
Parent
Re:...lol (Score:5, Funny)
You mean I need to be vomiting, cumming and having explosive diarrhea to have sex? No thanks.
Parent
Re:...lol (Score:4, Funny)
Parent
Re:...lol (Score:5, Funny)
You mean I need to be vomiting, cumming and having explosive diarrhea to have sex? No thanks.
I'm sure there's a Japanese word for what you describe, but I'm not about to go look it up.
Parent
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You forgot bleeding. Oh, yes, the delicious bleeding.
Was that my out-loud voice?
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Exercise is like sex, when you're doing it your body is spewing dopamine, endorphins, and bodily fluids in all directions. If you're doing it right, it feels great.
I can't debate the physiology of this, but I don't think the effect is universal. I have friends who love to lift weights, and others who love to run. I hate both: The only thing it makes me feel is tired and hungry. I've hear them wax poetically about loving "the burn" or "the runners high" and I've gone with them, and never felt it.
However, I love to play DDR and Ultimate Frisbee. I could play any of those until my body can't take any more - and then I keep going. It is not the physical activity
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Personally, once my heart rate gets up I feel great. I spend my whole exercise cycle thinking, "Jesus, why don't I do this 3 times a day?" Then I hit the cool-down period, and all the pain catches up, and I stagger around for an hour or so wondering if I'm going to die.
I don't do weights though. It's only cardio that makes me feel good. And even there, I have to be moving. Riding an exercise bike is a chore. The only "stationary" cardio I can do for any period of time is jumping rope, because it's entertain
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I can't speak definitively on the physiology here, but I don't think it's really quite that subjective. People respond to intense aerobic exercise with dopamine release, the same way that people release insulin in response to glucose. Some people might have flaws in that system, but overall, this is "how it works". I believe the system is designed to make you able to keep going even when running started being unpleasant, since if you are running, it's most likely (in the long term scheme at least) becaus
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Exercise is like sex, when you're doing it your body is spewing dopamine, endorphins, and bodily fluids in all directions. If you're doing it right, it feels great.
Only if you're lucky.
Some people have bodies tuned to do this. You're obviously one of them, and I envy you: you get rewarded for exercise. Other people don't. I find exercise uncomfortable, very hard work, and unutterably dull. I don't zone out, I don't get endorphins, I just have to keep working at it, and it never gets any easier --- if I train, all that happens is that I can keep going longer, which means I can prolong the agony. Some reward.
And yes, I am doing it right. A couple of years ago I ent
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
And yes, I am doing it right. A couple of years ago I entered a 10km road race in my town, and with that deadline as an incentive I carefully trained up over a couple of months, and eventually did the race and got a decent time (about 1 hour 5 minutes, IIRC). I've still got the pot-metal medal they gave me for completing it somewhere. Did I get a feeling of accomplishment for doing this? Yes. Was it worth my time? No, not really.
I posit that there is some other form of physical exertion that would give you more of a mental/emotional positive-feedback loop, which will help push you to that physical state of endorphin-induced satori. Maybe it's marathons, maybe it's marathon orgies; for me Mountain Biking is the only all-physical sport (I am the only engine - I bike up, too, which is the tedious part) which holds my interest enough to get me into that state.
Think of it like sex; you ran the race, that's like getting your nut. Sure, y
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No need to be defensive. Everyone is different.
It definitely does matter how crazy you are in the long term, however. I ran competitively for 7 years, and topped 15 miles a day for 3 of those years. Doesn't take much to to make me feel good when I'm running (and I have wicked knee problems now, so I'm not in any kind of great shape).
Still it's always going to be work. Due to my knee issues, I need a lot of warm up and cool down, and I tend to feel like crap in the mornings, or whenever it rains.
It definitel
re.. (Score:3, Interesting)
Hmmm. If you could purchase a discrete device that would release endorphins whenever you were doing exercise. Would you buy it?
Would you voluntarily rewire yourself?
Re:...lol (Score:4, Interesting)
No need to make exercise fun. Exercise is like sex, when you're doing it your body is spewing dopamine, endorphins, and bodily fluids in all directions. If you're doing it right, it feels great.
Pheh. For some people. Generally, endorphins, the thing that actually gives you the high, doesn't get going until you're a long way into the exercise regimine and even then it usually doesn't counteract the pain and tedium of plain-ol weight lifting, running, or whatever other boring thing.
I've done em all, regularly for years even, and well I just never saw this "no need to make exercise fun" thing. My friend who was heavily into running and marathons and such, once said when I asked him about runner's high. "That's a bunch of crap," he said, and you only feel it when you've been running for miles anyway. Which is not something Parkinson's sufferers are going to do.
So yeah. "Exercise" by itself is boring as hell and praying for an endorphine high as payoff isn't going to work for a lot of people. Fun things that also happen to be exercise are fun. I like rock climbing. That gets me going. For others, Wii Sports or Wii Fit might be what they need.
Parent
Re:...lol (Score:5, Funny)
No need to make exercise fun. Exercise is like sex, when you're doing it your body is spewing dopamine, endorphins, and bodily fluids in all directions.
I call it: "The Aristocrats!"
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Exercise is like sex
And sex is exercise.
You can watch the girl in spandex all you want. I'll be getting my exercise helping her "cool down".
Giggity.
Re:...lol (Score:5, Insightful)
Well in this study, they mention that they see significant improvements in depression symptoms and dopamine levels, which you don't see with normal exercise, and the researchers hypothesize that something about the video game component is causing this. There are actually quite a few studies finding that using the Wii is an incredibly effective form of rehab. One case report: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18689607?ordinalpos=13&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum [nih.gov]
And all of the studies refer to it as a "low-cost gaming console". In comparison to traditional rehab, which cost just as much in equipment then add in the billing rate of a physical or occupational therapist, the Wii is dirt cheap.
Parent
Re:...lol (Score:5, Insightful)
Isn't it more cost effective to make exercise fun, rather than spend money on Wii and its accessories?
At ~$340 wouldn't a Wii and accessories be cheaper than most dedicated exercise machines? Not to mention probably take up less space when you consider that you can dual purpose the TVs and use the Wiis for other games or just put them away.
In any case, 'making exercise fun' might be more expensive than you think. Sure, a class type workout with an instructor can be interesting and effective, but you have to pay the instructor. That gets expensive quick, even if you have a couple dozen in the class.
Running on a track - boring & painful. Music player of whatever stripe is of limited effectiveness for me.
Running on a treadmill - even more boring.
Running on a treadmill with a TV hooked up - better, especially depending on the program. Still limited.
Using a Wii? Interactive! Real feedback would make it much better. Easier access to exercise tracking can help make sure it remains interesting, tracking stats over time to provide better feedback, etc...
And with Parkinson's, it's likely that they'd need a physical therapist to design a workout - due to varying abilities it might be difficult to place them in a mass class.
Parent
Re: (Score:2)
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-1242-Science-News-Examiner~y2009m6d12-Wiihab-boosts-Parkinsons-treatments [examiner.com]
This particular study used bowling, boxing, and tennis. All part of the Wii Sports game. They did it three times a week for only a month to see these results.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Proves once again.. (Score:2)
That eye/body/hand/whatever coordination excercise is good for your general health and actually develops your brain.
Nothing new here.
Misleading title? (Score:2, Informative)
It sounds like it is used to treat the effects of the symptoms of parkison's. It doesn't do anything to treat Parkisons itself.
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Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Free Wiis (Score:2, Interesting)
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Cheaper than any other options...
Except maybe the Ultimate Solution. Which I'm not that keen on, personally.
Watered down experience (Score:5, Funny)
So what this article is saying, is that the Wii provides a "watered down" Parkinson's experience.
For a change.. something supporting TFA (Score:5, Insightful)
Dr. Ben Hertz, a director of Occupational Therapy at MCG, explained that "participants showed significant improvements in rigidity, movement, fine motor skills and energy levels. Perhaps most impressively, most participants' depression levels decreased to zero." [MCG] Depression is a major impact factor in Parkinson's, with at least half of the patients reporting the mental illness.
No neurological studies have been done to solidify the reasons behind the improvement. However, Hertz believes that the combination of exercise and video games helps boost dopamine levels, a neurotransmitter that is severely deficient in Parkinson's disease. That is the motivation behind using the Wii over another video game system; Wii requires whole-body movement instead of the simple isolated finger movements on a traditional controller.
While we only have a correlation here and no direct link, I actually think the researchers may be onto something. The reason why this is more than old news is not the physical activity, but the emotional and mental components.
Playing sports for real requires lifting the appropriate equipment, and learning the skill. Wii Sports is simpler, and simply requires basic motions. The remote is also much lighter and easier to handle.
The time invested learning vs the return in enjoyment ramps up faster and if you are a depressed parkinson's patient, being able to easily do a little exercise with a simple little console can emotionally be a big deal. I do not have parkinson's, but I've tried learning tennis and it's a pain in the ass to me, but I enjoy a little wii tennis from time to time with my niece.
And finally, playing a computer game is still novel. Most patients are going to look at something like this and it will be enjoyable. It's not some uber FPS or strategy game where they have to learn 20 combos. They swing a remote and have a little fun with their friends.
The physical activity has always been important, but other consoles don't give you physical interaction, you mash buttons. If you are a parkinson's patient and you can feel like you are doing something, you are not only getting a physical component, but a much needed mental and emotional component.
Wii Games to soon cure Death & Taxes (Score:2)
Re:Wii Games to soon cure Death & Taxes (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
I don't believe Parkinson's is related to a lack of exercise or a lack of anything that the Wii would provide. From what I understand they usually don't even know what causes the disease in the first place.
Re:Preventitive Medicine? (Score:4, Interesting)
http://classes.uleth.ca/200901/chem2600a/Designer%20Drugs%20PPT.pdf [uleth.ca]
Parent
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
They do know what causes it. Death of dopaminergic neurons in a specific part of the brain, and/or inactivation of dopamine receptors on those neurons.
The underlying causes, though, are still not completely clear. As from your link, certain chemicals can cause this.
But it's important to note that dopaminergic receptors die off regularly, anyway (IIRC ~5% per year) but no Parkinson's symptoms are exhibited until there are very few dopaminergic receptors in that part
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People do not develop symptoms of Parkinson's disease until 75-80% of the dopaminergic cells in the substantia nigra are dead and gone (or at least no longer producing dopamine).
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Re: (Score:2, Funny)
I made a cartoon of his two remaining brain cells talking back and forth inside his hollow skull. The conversation went something like this:
Brain Cell 1: "Coke..."
Brain Cell 2: "...CAINE!
Brain Cell 1: "Coke..."
Brain Cell 2: "...CAINE!
etc.
Re:What about the new Wii Sports? (Score:5, Insightful)
Ah yes, "This is bunk" states known Parkinson's expert and physiology sage jshackles.
Before you call it bunk... do you know what causes Parkinson's? Do you know what neurotransmitter abnormality causes Parkinson's symptoms?
Do you know what neurotransmitters are the mediators of the response we know as "feeling of accomplishment"?
Do you know how video games stimulate that response?
Do you know, even discounting the neurotransmitter impact, how exercise via the Wii differs from other "standard" methods of exercise, and how this might specifically be of use to Parkinson's sufferers? Do you know if using a Wii for fine motor control exercise has a higher percentage of participants actually sticking to their rehabilitation schedules than traditional methods?
In short... you call it bunk... but it seems VERY clear to me that (1) you don't know much about the subject and (2) you didn't bother researching it at all before decrying it.
Even if this study was bunk, your refutation of it is even worse... at least they bothered to collect data before making any kind of conclusion.
Parent
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Best "Der, I'm shmarter than teh scientists" Tard Smackdown I've seen in a while.
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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15477546?ordinalpos=13&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum [nih.gov]
Short version: Pot didn't help keep the patients on the most effective meds. (which is an issue for Parkinson's... you can't just take the meds forever. They stop working)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15111259?ordinalpos=18&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum [nih.gov]
Short version: pot might