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. 2024 Aug 22:15:1407703.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1407703. eCollection 2024.

Assessment of executive functions using a 3D-video game in children and adolescents with ADHD

Nagahide Takahashi #  1   2   3 , Tomihiro Ono #  4 , Yuka Omori  2 , Misuzu Iizumi  1 , Hidekazu Kato  1 , Shinichi Kasuno  4 , Barry Persing  4 , Kenji J Tsuchiya  2   3
Affiliations

Assessment of executive functions using a 3D-video game in children and adolescents with ADHD

Nagahide Takahashi et al. Front Psychiatry. .

Abstract

Objective: Executive functions are important factors that affect the well-being of children with ADHD. Therefore, inclusion of a convenient assessment of executive dysfunction in diagnosis and treatment of ADHD patients is warranted. However, executive dysfunction assessment presently relies on lab-based neuropsychological tests and symptom rating scales. The present study examined the potential of a 3-D action puzzle video game to reflect ecologically valid executive functioning in pediatric ADHD patients.

Methods: Participant gameplay metrics were compared to both their Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) and Conners 3 Parent Form's executive functioning subscale scores. Participants consisted of 33 ADHD and non-ADHD patients aged 8-21.

Results: Metrics from gameplay were associated with distinct CANTAB test scores, and a composite score from gameplay was significantly correlated with executive dysfunction from Conners 3.

Conclusion: For children with ADHD, cognitive domains related to executive function and overall real-life executive functioning appear to both be measurable via video games. It may be possible to develop individualized behavioral therapy based on the quantitative data obtained from the video game used in this study.

Keywords: ADHD; cognitive ability; ecological validity; executive function; video game.

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Conflict of interest statement

TO and SK are employed by Almaprism Inc. and may own stock options. TO, SK, KT, and NT are named in a relevant pending patent. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A graphical summary of key actions and events in relation to the manual "preparation" mode and automatic “execution” mode. The player is tasked with placing and adjusting pieces such that the resulting route can deliver an automatically moving player to the goal cell during execution mode.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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