Personalized Cognitive Training Via Serious Video Game Aids ADHD Symptoms

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 22, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Serious video games may improve some symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), in combination with pharmacological treatment, according to a study published online Jan. 8 in JMIR Serious Games.

Marina Martin-Moratinos, from the Puerta de Hierro Majadahonda University Hospital in Madrid, and colleagues evaluated the impact of a 20-session treatment with The Secret Trail of Moon (MOON) video game with personalized cognitive training on emotional regulation. The analysis included 76 individuals (aged 7 to 18 years) with a clinical diagnosis of ADHD and receiving pharmacological treatment who were randomly assigned to MOON or a control group.

The researchers found that the MOON intervention failed to achieve a 3- or 4-point reduction in the global Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire score. There were significant improvements in material organization, working memory, and inhibition, particularly among patients more engaged with the MOON treatment.

“Serious video games combined with multimodal treatment can improve symptoms associated with ADHD,” the authors write. “In this study, significant differences in inhibition, working memory, and material organization were observed in participants who were more engaged in the MOON treatment.”

One author disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical and the serious video game development industries.

Abstract/Full Text