Movement while playing video games on the popular Nintendo Wii system may help MS patients improve balance.

“To date, there are no drugs that can improve the balance in patients with multiple sclerosis, but some drugs even worsen the balance,” says study author Dr. Luca Prosperini (Luca Prosperini), a neurologist at the University of La Sapienza in Rome.

It turned out that MS patients who use the Wii Balance Board 5 times a week, while moving in a game of snowboarding or dancing, can reduce the risk of falls and injuries, as well as increase some intracerebral connections..

“MS patients should only use this system under supervision.. Once they are comfortable with it, they can use it at home,” Prosperini recommends..

Multiple sclerosis (MS, MS) is a neurological disease that disrupts the nerve connections between the brain and the body..

“Balance problems are quite common due to the impact of MS on numerous intracerebral connections that are important for maintaining balance,” explains Nicholas LaRocca, vice president of research policy and care for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.. According to the doctor, multiple sclerosis also impairs vision, which plays an important role in maintaining balance..

MS patients tried different ways to maintain balance function. Various inserts in shoes and canes help some people, and special rehabilitation courses can develop strength and coordination.. Some patients try electrical muscle stimulation, which allows them to regain muscle control..

Dr. Prosperini was inspired by a study in which patients improved their balance by playing an old and familiar Atari game.. Then a commercial for the Wii Balance Board caught the attention of a researcher.. The balancing board, which looks like a floor scale, detects the player's movements and allows him to broadcast these actions on the screen.

Prosperini tried to get a research grant from Nintendo, but the company was not interested in this work.. Therefore, the study was sponsored by the Italian National Society for Multiple Sclerosis..

His work confirmed that multiple sclerosis patients can regain balance using the Wii Balance Board.. But the scientist went further: he decided to find out what happens in the brain during such activities, that is, what causes recovery..

In his latest work, the results of which were published on August 26 in the American journal Radiology, he spoke about his experiment. 27 MS patients were randomly divided into two groups. One group spent 3 months playing video games regularly using the Wii Balance Board, while the second group did not do any specific balance exercises.. The groups then switched roles.

This system was also used by 15 healthy people who were the control group..

All participants underwent an MRI of the brain, which allowed scientists to record changes.. It turned out that all patients who improved their balance after exercise had physical changes in the brain..

Video games have been linked to the buildup of a protective sheath around the nerves that control balance, leading to improved signaling between the brain and body..

Dr. LaRocca of the MS Society says this study has significant limitations.. First, it is very difficult to interpret the changes seen in the brain.. Secondly, the number of participants was very small..

Study suggests video game outcomes are temporary, meaning MS patients need to constantly work on balance.

medbe. en.