Smartphone and diagnosis: a new possible way?

A study to control the symptoms of schizophrenia from England If you were asked to think of a person with schizophrenia, who would be the first to come to your mind? Probably individuals like the writer Jack Torrance of the film ‘Shining’ starring Jack Nicholson, the protagonist of ‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde’, or John Nash, the talented mathematician of the film ‘A beautiful mind’. In short, dangerous men and sometimes geniuses.

Although all this is scientifically false and the result of a widespread but erroneous perception, a series of studies have revealed that to the question of what characterizes an individual affected by this disease, 50% of respondents said that schizophrenia indicates a double personality, while 25% associate it with psychopaths and violent. Precisely this prejudice means that only 8% of patients are able to get a job: a real problem if you think that one in 100 human beings is affected.

In England, a group of researchers from King’s College London’s Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) and the University of Roehampton, carried out studies on schizophrenic people to allow them to be able to control, in particular, the disorder caused by verbal hallucinations. Nothing new so far. To be innovative, in fact, is the means by which patients have learned to face the disease: a video game. The research, the first of its kind, involved 12 people. 70% of individuals with schizophrenia are victims of hallucinations that lead them to hear voices that are actually the result of their imagination, with important negative consequences on daily life. In addition, for 30% of them the medicines have no effect. A difficult existence therefore, considering also that those suffering from this disease live, on average, between 15 and 20 years less than the rest of the population. Unfortunately, there are no effective treatments for all those with this condition, so the value of similar research that can offer a new medical approach is remarkable.

The experiment

Researchers have devised a technique that can provide a ‘neuro-feedback’ to the patient through a magnetic resonance scanner, capable of monitoring the activity of the brain region that is activated when listening. In the video game provided to patients, neural activity is represented by a space rocket with only one goal: to land safely on Earth. Without any indication of the technique to be used, the experimented people must develop their own mental strategy to move the missile and gently take it to its destination. By doing this, patients are able not only to ‘see’, but also to influence the activity of the brain region guilty of verbal hallucinations. After four successful attempts thanks to the help of the feedback-missile, individuals with schizophrenia were able to reduce the disorders in total autonomy.