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© 2014. This work is licensed under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Background: PlayMancer is a video game designed to increase emotional regulation and reduce general impulsive behaviors, by training to decrease arousal and improve decision-making and planning. We have previously demonstrated the usefulness of PlayMancer in reducing impulsivity and improving emotional regulation in bulimia nervosa (BN) patients. However, whether these improvements are actually translated into brain changes remains unclear.

Objective: The aim of this case study was to report on a 28-year-old Spanish woman with BN, and to examine changes in physiological variables and brain activity after a combined treatment of video game therapy (VGT) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

Methods: Ten VGT sessions were carried out on a weekly basis. Anxiety, physiological, and impulsivity measurements were recorded. The patient was scanned in a 1.5-T magnetic resonance scanner, prior to and after the 10-week VGT/CBT combined treatment, using two paradigms: (1) an emotional face-matching task, and (2) a multi-source interference task (MSIT).

Results: Upon completing the treatment, a decrease in average heart rate was observed. The functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) results indicated a post-treatment reduction in reaction time along with high accuracy. The patient engaged areas typically active in healthy controls, although the cluster extension of the active areas decreased after the combined treatment.

Conclusions: These results suggest a global improvement in emotional regulation and impulsivity control after the VGT therapy in BN, demonstrated by both physiological and neural changes. These promising results suggest that a combined treatment of CBT and VGT might lead to functional cerebral changes that ultimately translate into better cognitive and emotional performances.

Details

Title
Physiological and Brain Activity After a Combined Cognitive Behavioral Treatment Plus Video Game Therapy for Emotional Regulation in Bulimia Nervosa: A Case Report
Author
Fagundo, Ana Beatriz  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Via, Esther  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Sánchez, Isabel  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Jiménez-Murcia, Susana  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Forcano, Laura  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Soriano-Mas, Carles  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Giner-Bartolomé, Cristina  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Santamaría, Juan J  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Ben-Moussa, Maher  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Konstantas, Dimitri  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Lam, Tony  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Lucas, Mikkel  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Nielsen, Jeppe  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Lems, Peter  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Cardoner, Narcís  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Menchón, Jose M  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; de la Torre, Rafael  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Fernandez-Aranda, Fernando  VIAFID ORCID Logo 
Section
Games and Gamification for Health
Publication year
2014
Publication date
Aug 2014
Publisher
Gunther Eysenbach MD MPH, Associate Professor
e-ISSN
1438-8871
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2512900354
Copyright
© 2014. This work is licensed under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.