Real game-changer for people with Parkinson’s

Researchers are conducting a three-year, $90,000 trial of the cognitive training device with the aim of improving outcomes and delaying dementia onset for people with Parkinson’s disease.

The study will be led by Flinders University rehabilitation engineer David Hobbs alongside University of Adelaide neuroscientist Lyndsey Collins-Praino, in tandem with Parkinson’s South Australia.

The OrbIT gaming system is an accessible, fun, stand-alone computer gaming system that features a novel and easy-to-use controller.

It engages the player in a targeted, cognitively challenging activity (playing specially designed computer games), while the unique design of the controller facilitates intuitive control without the need for grip and fine-motor control.

This is particularly important for people with Parkinson’s, who may often struggle to use traditional gaming controllers.

“Cognitive decline is one of the most significant predicators of quality of life both for individuals living with Parkinson’s disease and their caregivers, and currently there are no effective treatments for it,”  Dr Collins-Praino said.

“We hope that the OrbIT system may be able to help individuals maintain, or even improve, their cognitive function by allowing us to target the areas that are most vulnerable in Parkinson’s disease.”

While many people think of Parkinson’s as a motor disease, it can also be associated with a variety of non-motor impairments, including declines in cognitive function and memory.

Within 20 years of diagnosis, more than 80 per cent of people with Parkinson’s go on to develop dementia.

“We believe the OrbIT gaming system, which was originally developed for children with cerebral palsy and has also been trialled with people undergoing stroke rehabilitation, has huge potential in other health areas because of the way it was designed,” said Mr Hobbs, the lead developer of OrbIT.

“We are really excited to partner with Parkinson’s SA and to uncover new applications for this technology to improve the lives of many people with this condition.”

Funding for the trial will come from the estate of the late Olga Mabel Woolger. It will enable the gaming system to be trialled through Parkinson’s SA’s new Brain x Body Fitness Studio, which is designed to encourage neuroplasticity.

It will include both short-term and long-term follow up with individuals, in order to evaluate any lasting benefits of game play.