Wii Boosts Parkinson's Treatments 122
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."
...lol (Score:4, Insightful)
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.
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.
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.
Re:Misleading title? (Score:3, Insightful)
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.
Re:...lol (Score:3, Insightful)
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) because something is chasing you, or you're chasing something, and either way, you'd want to keep going even after the oxygen levels in your muscles drop enough to cause lactic acid build up and the accompanying pain. A little bit of brain chemicals will help you ignore it and catch food/avoid being food.
The dopamine release may contribute to "loving the burn" or the "runner's high" but they aren't the sole cause. I love video games, and I also happen to like running. The runner's high I get doesn't work on a treadmill, though. I hate treadmills. Staring at a wall while running ruins the entire experience for me. But if I forced myself to do it, I still get dopamine released afterward. I just didn't enjoy it, because I was too busy thinking "wow this sucks a lot".
I think you just don't like running. Which is fair. I doubt you don't release dopamine after aerobic exercise. You just don't notice it that much because you're thinking "wow this sucks a lot".
Re:Misleading title? (Score:3, Insightful)
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
Re:Surely the point is that (Score:3, Insightful)
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.
Re:...lol (Score:2, Insightful)
When I was younger I spent more than my fair share of time with "the hotties" (yes yes, i know, slashdotters don't get hot girls, he's lying, etc etc) and I really started to detest them. From their lack of original or relevant thought to their pointless conversation-killing automated responses to their reflex-like "look-cute" maneuver any time they wanted to escape accountability (which, incidentally, was ALWAYS), I just couldn't stand it anymore.
I think it has something to do with the adolescent development process where those of us who are average or less are forced to develop social skills and be interesting or otherwise risk alienating everyone. On the other hand, no matter how vacant an attractive girl is, she's always being sniffed by throngs of horny males and thus, being never left alone, is never forced to develop the social skills the rest of us develop until much later in life.
To this day, "average" is all I find attractive. Sure, the pretty ones are nice to look at on tv but just the thought of the headache I'll get being with them again in real life honestly makes my head throb... errr... the one i think with...