In this study, specific intrusions were targeted based on the concepts of “concurrent task interference and memory reconsolidation. Games using TGM rotation generally use IRS, fast DAS, lock delay, and firm drop, and tetrominoes start out with the topmost block on the top row (generally row 20). The local ethics committee of Charité University Clinic (Berlin, Germany) approved the study, and we obtained written informed consent from each participant before they entered the study, in line with the declaration of Helsinki. B) Increases in hippocampal volume after therapy were correlated with decreases in symptoms at follow-up in the Tetris group, but not in the therapy-only control group.

Holmes and colleagues 1 have proposed that by completing a demanding visuospatial task during memory consolidation or reconsolidation for a traumatic event, the memory trace is weakened because of competition for the cognitive resources required for consolidation. In addition, patients with PTSD may show signs of cognitive impairment, 57 and increases in hippocampal volume have been linked to increases in cognitive performance after therapy for PTSD. To assess psychological symptoms, participants also completed German versions of the following self-report questionnaires before each neuroimaging session: the Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale (PDS), the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) and the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Reducing intrusive traumatic memories after emergency caesarean section: a proof-of-principle randomized controlled study.We therefore hypothesized that prefrontal regions in PTSD populations would also increase in response to therapeutic interventions, although the majority of relevant work in neuroplasticity and PTSD has demonstrated effects in the hippocampus rather than the prefrontal regions. Approximately 6 months after completion of therapy, participants also completed the questionnaire assessment only. After completion of psychotherapy, symptoms were reduced across all participants, and both groups continued to show reductions in PTSD symptoms at 6-month follow-up. Tetris Effect adds themes and music across thirty different stages with gameplay tied to the beat of the music. In addition, the long-term prognosis for PTSD is poor: a majority of people continue to experience symptoms for months or years after initial diagnosis, and a substantial number never fully recovers.

Smaller hippocampal volumes have been associated with increased risk for PTSD 25 and with poorer prognosis; 21 – 24 smaller volumes in the prefrontal cortex may represent a more general effect of stress exposure.

Conversely, we also note that we did not observe effects in the prefrontal cortex, despite the fact that these regions are reduced in PTSD populations 18 – 20 and have been shown to respond to video-gaming interventions. You would think I'd get a little bonus for that, considering it was my fifth day in a row and I matched all of them, even though it was the most common prize. However, playing a video game in the direct aftermath of a traumatic event is neither practical nor possible in every case.