A new game development by a U.S. company may be able to help children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) better than any other pill.
Medical-grade game maker Akili Interactive Labs reported that, based on the results of its pilot study, Project: EVO demonstrated improvement in children with ADHD.
Project: EVO is a mobile game platform based on a technology made by the lab of Dr. Adam Gazzaley from the University of California. Gazzaley's platform is found to help improve working memory and attention in adults when used as at-home interventions.
The findings, presented at the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry's 62nd annual meeting, proved that Project EVO's goals of helping children through video games are safe and attainable.
"These data demonstrate that Project: EVO improved attentional functioning and working memory in children with ADHD," said study lead author Scott Kollins, professor of psychiatry and director of the ADHD Program in Duke University School of Medicine. He added that while the results are still preliminary, they provide strong evidence that the project is worth continuing.
The pilot study for Project: EVO involved 80 children ages 8 to 12, with half of the participants diagnosed to have ADHD, but without any history of prior treatment. While the other 40 participants have no known psychiatric diagnosis.
The children were made to play the mobile game via a tablet for about 30 minutes a day, five days a week for one month. After that, tests were run to measure attention span, impulsivity and working memory of the children, and researchers found marked improvement in the group with ADHD. Most parents reported that they felt the game was worthwhile for their children. There was a high compliance rate (81 percent) among the patients who played the game.
"Project: EVO was designed a medical-grade software that could potentially offer a viable new option or adjucnt to pharmaceuticals," said Eddie Martucci the co-founder and CEO of Akili. He said that the study supports the theory and that it is excited to see how the game will fare once utilized within a larger study group. With further success, the company hopes that Project: EVO will be the first video game to be approved for therapeutic used by the Food and Drug Administration.
Akili's Project: EVO is part of the company's plan to make clinically validated cognitive assessment, diagnostic and therapeutic platforms delivered via a videogame interface in order to make healthcare products that are both effective and engaging to patients. Akili was founded by PureTech Health and in partnership with Autism Speaks, Pfizer and garnered investment from Shire Pharmaceuticals .
