Jennifer Crosbie, PhD: A Video Game Platform for Improving Executive Function

A new immersive video game platform could help adolescent patients with neurological and psychiatric disorders, including attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, and traumatic brain injuries (TBI) improve executive function.

In a presentation during the American Professional Society of ADHD and Related Disorders (APSARD) in Orlando, Jennifer Crosbie, PhD, C.Psych, Clinical Psychologists at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and an associate professor for the University of Toronto, spoke about how the video game, called Mega Team, could help address specific symptoms in patients rather than just diseases.

In an interview with HCPLive® following the conference, Crosbie said what is unique about the project is that patients actually helped design the video game to try to train executive functions.

“The idea behind trying to train executive functions, which we feel are an underlying core deficit that we feel leads to downstream impairment,” Crosbie said. “By training executive function, we hope to improve those skills and have that downstream impact in day-to-day functioning.”

The platform is a five-week at-home system that leverages new technologies and virtual reality.

Crosbie recently led a small pilot study testing the platform in patients with brain disorders and executive function deficits. A larger scale study is currently being planned.