Project Evo: A Digital Medicine In The Form Of A Video Game Intends To Help Kids With ADHD

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common behavioral disorder that affects many children. Researchers discovered that computer games can alleviate the symptoms of ADHD in children. This led to the development of a video game by Akili Interactive Labs in Boston that is designed as a therapy for brain disorders such as ADHD.

According to CBS News, the company obtained $30.5 million to support the clinical development of the video game called "Project Evo." The product will be launched in 2017. As of now the company is requesting for the approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Medical Daily describes the mechanics of the video game.  It can be downloaded on tablets and phones. It provides a virtual and interactive world wherein players will be involved in making split-second decisions. It requires players to focus on certain tasks.

The tasks, for example, in moving the ship, the players must choose the red fish that is visible on the screen thus ignoring green fish and blue birds that appear. "Project Evo" identifies the skill level of the players as the game is in progress. The numbers of objects the players must hit and the speed of the ship slowly increases, too.

Another task is guiding an alien spacecraft in a canyon. The tasks allow the child to focus completely. The goal of the video game is to systematize information in real time and condition the brain.

Akili is now testing Project Evo among children with ADHD and other cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer's, Autism Spectrum Disorder, traumatic brain injury and depression. The small scale trial shows an improved cognitive in kids with ADHD.

"We've developed a set of proprietary adaptive algorithms that allow the device to automatically personalize the treatment to a particular individual without the need for a doctor," Akili's CEO Eddie Martucci said.

On the other hand, there are some people who are skeptical about the video game that can be effective in treating children with ADHD. "We don't really know how effective this kind of technology is," Elliot Berkman, assistant professor of the Department of Psychology at the University of Oregon, said.

"The clinical trial model, in this case, is very good -- that is exactly the kind of work that needs to be done," he then concluded.