经历过灾难的人往往出现一些精神问题,如常常不由自主地回想起灾难场面。英国的一项研究显示,玩“俄罗斯方块”游戏可能有助于缓解这种精神问题,因为这种游戏画面会与灾难画面竞争大脑资源,从而抑制灾难事件的影响。
英国牛津大学的研究人员在新一期美国《科学公共图书馆综合卷》上报告说,他们请数十名健康志愿者观看灾难影片,其中有车祸等血腥场面,这种体验可模拟实际经历灾难的感受。此后,受试者被分为三组,一组玩“俄罗斯方块”,另一组玩一种文字游戏,还有一组什么也不做。结果发现,随后一周内,在玩“俄罗斯方块”的一组受试者中,大脑不由自主闪现灾难场面的次数明显比另外两组受试者少。
玩文字游戏的一组受试者则出现相反情况,他们不由自主回忆灾难场面的次数比什么也不做的对照组还要多。
领导这项研究的艾米丽·霍姆斯博士说,研究小组得到的数据显示,受试者在灾难事件后4小时内玩“俄罗斯方块”,就有可能获得“缓解”效果,但这种“缓解”并非“俄罗斯方块”组成员对灾难的记忆减弱所致,受试者仍能主动回忆起灾难细节。
研究人员认为,这是因为人的大脑有两种处理信息的方式,一个是直观的,与声音、图像等有关,而另一个是更理性化的,将事件意义抽象剥离出来并整合进记忆背景中。通常这两种方式是平衡的,但在灾难发生时,直观方式常常压过理性方式,比如车祸当事人往往只记得当时有闪光和刹车声,而难以梳理整个事件的前因后果。直观记忆的这种优势便是出现相关精神问题的原因之一。
如果在灾后玩“俄罗斯方块”这种同时处理图像和声音信息的游戏,相关信息会占用大脑中处理直观信息的资源,从而抑制灾难对大脑的影响。但如果玩的是文字游戏,该游戏内容就会占用大脑中处理抽象信息的资源,抑制关于灾难的抽象记忆,使得直观记忆和抽象记忆更加不平衡,从而使某些精神问题更加恶化。研究人员表示,希望能在上述发现的基础上找到帮助缓解灾后精神问题的更多方法。(生物谷Bioon.com)
生物谷推荐英文摘要:
PLoS ONE 5(11): e13706. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0013706
Key Steps in Developing a Cognitive Vaccine against Traumatic Flashbacks: Visuospatial Tetris versus Verbal Pub Quiz
Emily A. Holmes*, Ella L. James, Emma J. Kilford, Catherine Deeprose
Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
Background
Flashbacks (intrusive memories of a traumatic event) are the hallmark feature of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, however preventative interventions are lacking. Tetris may offer a ‘cognitive vaccine’ [1] against flashback development after trauma exposure. We previously reported that playing the computer game Tetris soon after viewing traumatic material reduced flashbacks compared to no-task [1]. However, two criticisms need to be addressed for clinical translation: (1) Would all games have this effect via distraction/enjoyment, or might some games even be harmful? (2) Would effects be found if administered several hours post-trauma? Accordingly, we tested Tetris versus an alternative computer game – Pub Quiz – which we hypothesized not to be helpful (Experiments 1 and 2), and extended the intervention interval to 4 hours (Experiment 2).
Methodology/Principal Findings
The trauma film paradigm was used as an experimental analog for flashback development in healthy volunteers. In both experiments, participants viewed traumatic film footage of death and injury before completing one of the following: (1) no-task control condition (2) Tetris or (3) Pub Quiz. Flashbacks were monitored for 1 week. Experiment 1: 30 min after the traumatic film, playing Tetris led to a significant reduction in flashbacks compared to no-task control, whereas Pub Quiz led to a significant increase in flashbacks. Experiment 2: 4 hours post-film, playing Tetris led to a significant reduction in flashbacks compared to no-task control, whereas Pub Quiz did not.
Conclusions/Significance
First, computer games can have differential effects post-trauma, as predicted by a cognitive science formulation of trauma memory. In both Experiments, playing Tetris post-trauma film reduced flashbacks. Pub Quiz did not have this effect, even increasing flashbacks in Experiment 1. Thus not all computer games are beneficial or merely distracting post-trauma - some may be harmful. Second, the beneficial effects of Tetris are retained at 4 hours post-trauma. Clinically, this delivers a feasible time-window to administer a post-trauma “cognitive vaccine”.