Sunday, May 9, 2010

“Video games, virtual reality experiences could relieve pain in kids, adults” plus 2 more

“Video games, virtual reality experiences could relieve pain in kids, adults” plus 2 more

Video games, virtual reality experiences could relieve pain in kids, adults

Posted: 09 May 2010 06:35 AM PDT

Washington, May 9 : The next time your kids complain of pain, tell them to go and play a video game, suggest scientists.

They claim that when children and adults with acute and chronic pain become immersed in video game action, they receive some analgesic benefit.

And pain researchers reported that virtual reality is proving to be effective in reducing anxiety and acute pain caused by painful medical procedures and could be useful for treating chronic pain.

"Virtual reality produces a modulating effect that is endogenous, so the analgesic influence is not simply a result of distraction but may also impact how the brain responds to painful stimuli. The focus is drawn to the game not the pain or the medical procedure, while the virtual reality experience engages visual and other senses," said Dr. Jeffrey I. Gold, associate professor of anaesthesiology and paediatrics, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California.

He noted that the exact mechanistic/neurobiological basis responsible for the VR analgesic effect of video games is unknown, but a likely explanation is the immersive, attention-grabbing, multi-sensory and gaming nature of VR.

These aspects of VR may produce an endogenous modulatory effect, which involves a network of higher cortical (e.g., anterior cingulate cortex) and subcortical (e.g., the amygdale, hypothalamus) regions known to be associated with attention, distraction and emotion.

Thus, studies measuring the benefit of virtual reality pain management have employed experimental pain stimuli, such as thermal pain and cold pressure tests, to turn pain responses on and off as subjects participate in virtual reality experiences.

"In my current NIH-funded study, I am using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure the effects of VR on experimental pain. The objective is to measure the cortical regions of interest involved in VR, while exposing the participant to video racing games with and without experimental pain stimuli," explained Gold.

Dr. Lynnda M. Dahlquist, reviewed her most recent laboratory research studies examining the use of virtual reality and other computer/videogame technologies to provide distraction-based acute pain management.

The use of video games and virtual reality distraction (VRD) technology for procedural pain management in both pre-schoolers and elementary to middle school children, yielded promising results in increasing pain tolerance "with potentially significant future clinical applications for more effective pain reduction techniques for youth with chronic and acute pain.

"However, more research is needed to know for certain if there is real world VRD application in such pain-generating procedures as cleansing wounds, cancer treatment, immunization, injections and burn care," said Dahlquist.

Children interacting with a virtual environment by watching video games demonstrated a small pain tolerance improvement during exposure to ice cold water stimulation, added Dahlquist.

But she recorded significantly greater pain tolerance for kids wearing specially-equipped video helmets when they actually interacted with the virtual environment.

The study was presented at the American Pain Society's annual scientific meeting.

--ANI

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What happened to New York's storied street games?

Posted: 08 May 2010 10:07 PM PDT

Where have all the street games gone?

The strategic sliding of bottle caps across a city street known as Skelly, the heroic dodging and weaving of Ringoleavio, the fast-moving batting of Boxball — these and other classic street games are all but extinct in New York.

There was a time when avenues were the playgrounds of choice for city kids, and their games were homegrown variations of popular national pastimes, or modern versions of childhood classics that have been around since the Roman Empire. It was the essence of an urban childhood.

Not anymore.

VIDEO: A NOT SO DYING SPORT

Even stickball, the quintessential New York street game, is in danger of dying out, says Bronx-born Matt Levy.

"I loved my childhood, and I grew up playing these games. Before my grandfather died, about 20 years ago, we had a conversation once about our childhoods, and I realized my grandpa in the 1920s and 1930s was doing the same things I did. All these games carried through," said Levy, whose family comes from the Pelham Parkway area.

The story of New York's street games — and the shifting cultural patterns that have caused their demise — is the topic of Levy's new documentary, "New York Street Games."

Through archival footage of stoopball and stickball games, black-and-white photos of hopscotch, handball and tag, Levy resurrects a long-gone New York that nobody over age 35 is likely to remember — the halcyon days when games weren't something that adults had to manage.

That kind of freewheeling playing is all but outlawed now. Fears of injuries, fights, or inappropriate touching have led some schools across the country to do away with rougher games, like Red Rover, and even tag. Since 1995, there's even been a program, "Peaceful Playgrounds," that some states have adopted to ensure play periods remain mild and sedate.

But along the way, kids have lost something they need — freedom to explore, and freedom to play.

Without those elements, Levy believes, today's kids are missing a chance to develop vital problem-solving skills, social skills, even language skills.

"Sure, there's a risk in sending your kids outside," Levy said. "But it's no more dangerous than it was 30 years ago. It's just our perception that the world is more dangerous. Parents today have a lot more information about a lot of things. Maybe 30 years ago you didn't know there was a sex offender living down the block. They were there, you just didn't focus as much on it."

LEVY's 76-minute documentary opens with the words: "Before cellphones, BlackBerries and Facebook . . . before a neighbor's doorstep required an invitation . . . before 'playdates,' there was play."

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At Dozer Day, kids get hands on the controls

Posted: 09 May 2010 06:14 AM PDT

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It's that time again, for children and big kids whose hearts skip at the site of heavy equipment: Dozer Day returns next weekend for its sixth edition.

The popular event, which drew 16,000 visitors to the CEMEX-Fisher Quarry site last year, offers youngsters the chance to climb into excavators, backhoes and bulldozers, ride a big dump truck, and crawl over giant tires and through twisting pipes.

There will be several other games and activities geared to children and families.

Dozer Day will run 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

It again will be on the west side of the Southeast 192nd Avenue and Brady Road intersection, just off state Highway 14 (Exit 10).

Tickets are available at http://www.nutterfoundation.org or at participating metro-area branches of: iQ Credit Union, First Independent Bank, Riverview Community Bank and On-Point Community Credit Union.

Cost is $5 for children age 2-12 and seniors 60 and older, and $7 for adults (small children are free). At the gate, tickets will be $7 for children/seniors, $10 for adults.

Inside the grounds, most events are free. Food and beverages are for sale. There is no ATM.

Proceeds from the nonprofit effort go the Vancouver-Clark County Parks Foundation and other local children's charity groups.

Friday will be set aside for about 500 Vancouver school district students in the Lunch Buddy program, with their adult buddies.

Early slots during the weekend are available to sponsors. New sponsors are welcome, as are volunteers.

See the website for details, or call Stephanie Hadley at 360-823-1322.

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