Parkinson's patients more agile after Wii

AUGUSTA, Ga., June 12 (UPI) -- Parkinson's patients who played Nintendo Wii showed a decrease in depression and an increase in agility, the Medical College of Georgia said.

In an eight-week study, 20 Parkinson's patients who played the computer game several times a week for an hour improved their hand-to-eye coordination, sequenced movements and visual perception, said Dr. Ben Herz, the study's lead researcher.

During the study, most participants' depression levels dropped to zero, he said. An estimated 45 percent of Parkinson's patients suffer from depression, though the actual figure is probably much higher, Herz said.

Playing the Nintendo game likely increases the production of dopamine, a neurotransmitter deficient in Parkinson's patients, he said.

The game proved to be "a huge treatment tool from an occupational therapy perspective," Herz said, noting, "Game systems are the future of rehab.

Sixty percent of the study's participants bought a Wii for themselves when the study ended, which "speaks volumes for how this made them feel," Herz said.