Virtually exercising: Video games can help seniors who have problems being active.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Tremors and stiff movements aren’t the only symptoms associated with Parkinson’s disease, the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer’s disease. Many patients also suffer from depression, lack of energy, and an overall reduction in quality of life. But modern technology may change all that. A study presented last week at the Games for Health Conference in Boston found that playing Nintendo Wii sports games helped Parkinson’s patients cope with their symptoms and overcome many of their physical limitations. And the electronic game system could help other people who have mobility problems, says the study’s lead author, Ben Herz, ODT, program director and assistant professor of occupational therapy at the Medical College of Georgia.

THE DETAILS: For this study, which was sponsored by the National Parkinson Foundation, Dr. Herz recruited 21 adults, both men and women, whose Parkinson’s disease was advanced enough to affect movement on both sides of their bodies but wasn’t severe enough to affect their gait. He had them play Wii Sports games on Nintendo’s Wii video game system, selecting from tennis, bowling, or boxing games, for eight weeks, three times a week for 45 to 60 minutes. In addition to testing their physical movements, Dr. Herz had participants take quality of life and depression surveys. At the end of his study, he found that participants experienced significantly improved energy levels and movement (they were quicker and less rigid), and they had higher quality of life scores. But perhaps most interesting, he says, was the significant drop he saw in depression. It’s often estimated that 45 percent of Parkinson’s patients suffer from depression, but Dr. Herz feels that’s an understatement. “Depression is a very cyclical thing,” he says. “The more you can’t do things…it just gets worse.” But in his study, he found that the Wii players’ depression levels dropped to near zero.

WHAT IT MEANS: Parkinson’s disease is characterized by a significant drop in levels of the brain chemical dopamine. “The drop in dopamine is what causes a lot of movement problems,” Dr. Herz says. Physical exercise has been shown in numerous studies to increase dopamine levels, he adds, but the benefit to using the Wii and other video games that involve physical movements is they can be done at home in a safe environment. “If there’s bad weather, you don’t have to worry about it,” he says, “and you don’t have to make trips that could involve an accident.” The systems have been found so effective that many nursing homes are starting to install them, and Dr. Herz has found in his own practice that they can be good for people with limited mobility caused by other conditions, such as stroke or traumatic brain injury.