Friday, May 13, 2011

Computer Center Helps Brain-Injured Soldiers Retrain Their Minds

Jason Dugan/Shutterstock
A computer lab at Walter Reed Army Medical Center is helping military personnel with traumatic brain injuries to regain their memories and focus. At the Brain Fitness Center, soldiers participate in “brain workouts” with computer games. The games vary in difficulty from standard over-the-counter memory-sharpening programs to those specifically designed for brain  injuries. The sessions last 15 minutes, several times a day. Scientific studies to verify the effectiveness of the treatment are just under way, but soldiers believe the computer sessions are helping. The center is one of several established by the Department of Defense around the country. For more information on how civilians will benefit from the military’s experience in treating brain trauma, see http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/content/46/6/6.1.full. For information on a study that will assess the effectiveness of PTSD treatments, see http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/content/46/7/4.1.full.

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