Kessler Foundation researchers provide commentary on new study of video games and cognition
Drs. Leavitt and Sumowski quoted in MS Discovery Forum
West Orange, NJ. September 20, 2013. Two scientists at Kessler Foundation commented on an important new study published Sept 5 in Nature: Video game training enhances cognitive control in older adults by Anguera JA, et al. Neuropsychologists Victoria Leavitt, PhD, and James Sumowski, PhD, were quoted in an article in Multiple Sclerosis Discovery Forum titled,Video Game Revs Up Brain Power. Drs. Leavitt and Sumowski are research scientists in Neuropsychology & Neuroscience Research at Kessler Foundation, where they conduct cognitive research in multiple sclerosis. They are also assistant professors at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.
Dr. Sumowski has worked with Dr. Leavitt and John DeLuca, Ph.D. of the Kessler Foundation to demonstrate that engaging in intellectually stimulating activities protects against cognitive decline in MS. Drs. Leavitt and Sumowski are currently studying whether engaging in cognitive activities via the iPad has a positive effect on cognitive function in MS. The study by Anguera et al showed that the elderly who trained on the video game NeuroRacer had sustained improvement in muti-tasking, as well as in attention and working memory. It is significant that NeuroRacer was designed to address deficits in these areas. People with MS tend to have deficits in other areas, namely memory and processing speed, according to Dr. Leavitt. This study suggests that interventions targeting these deficits may be helpful in cognitive rehabilitation in the population with MS.
About MS Research at Kessler Foundation
Kessler Foundation's cognitive rehabilitation research in MS is funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health, National MS Society and Kessler Foundation. Under the leadership of Nancy Chiaravalloti, PhD, scientists in Neuropsychology & Neuroscience Research at Kessler Foundation have made important contributions to the knowledge of cognitive decline in MS. Clinical studies span new learning, memory, executive function, attention and processing speed. Research tools include innovative applications of fMRI and virtual reality. Among recent findings are the benefits of cognitive reserve; correlation between cognitive performance and outdoor temperatures; the efficacy of short-term cognitive rehabilitation using modified story technique; factors associated with cognitive fatigue, and the correlation between memory improvement and cerebral activation on fMRI.
Contact: Carolann Murphy, PA; 973.324.8382; [email protected]
