A Brain Training APP Could Help Schizophrenics, Study

A new brain training iPad game in UK spells some good news for schizophrenics, helping them to improve their memory and daily lives at home and in their workplaces, researchers said on Monday, according to firstpost.

Tests on a few patients who played the game in a month showed that their memory and learning had improved, scientists at Cambridge University said.

Called "Wizard", the game can help "episodic memory", which is important to help you recollect where you left your keys hours ago, or where you parked your car.

This condition of a long-term mental health condition leads to a number of psychological symptoms, starting from changes in behaviour to hallucinations and delusions.

Some psychotic symptoms have access to medical treatment, but patients often still suffer from loss in memory and cognitive function, struggling to return to work or education.

While schizophrenia is said to cost UK $28 billion annually, the slightest improvements in cognitive functions can bring down direct and indirect costs by helping them to live independently as well as improve their well-being and health, according to cowracommunity.

Published in 'Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B', the probe revealed that 22 patients who played the memory game committed fewer errors and needed less effort to remember the location of different patterns of specific tests. Their scores on the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scale racheted up, used by medicos to rate the social, occupational and psychological functioning of adults.

Many of the patients admitted to enjoying the game and getting motivated to play it across the eight hours of cognitive training. Agree