Playing “Tetris” after viewing traumatic material reduces unwanted, involuntary memory flashbacks to that traumatic film, leaving deliberate memory recall of the event intact. Recognition memory between groups did not differ significantly. Convergent results were found on a clinical measure of PTSD symptomatology at 1-week. Results indicated that compared to the no-task condition, the “Tetris” condition produced a significant reduction in flashback frequency over 1-week. Participants were then randomly allocated to either a no-task or visuospatial (“Tetris”) condition which they undertook for 10-min. All participants viewed a traumatic film consisting of scenes of real injury and death followed by a 30-min structured break. The Trauma Film paradigm was used as a well-established experimental analog for Post-traumatic Stress. We predicted that playing “Tetris” half an hour after viewing trauma would reduce flashback frequency over 1-week. Visuospatial tasks post-trauma, performed within the time window for memory consolidation, will reduce subsequent flashbacks. “Tetris”) will interfere with flashbacks. Visuospatial cognitive tasks selectively compete for resources required to generate mental images. The rationale for a ‘cognitive vaccine’ approach is as follows: Trauma flashbacks are sensory-perceptual, visuospatial mental images. Our theory is based on two key findings: 1) Cognitive science suggests that the brain has selective resources with limited capacity 2) The neurobiology of memory suggests a 6-hr window to disrupt memory consolidation. We propose the utility of developing a ‘cognitive vaccine’ to prevent PTSD flashback development following exposure to trauma. Although we have successful treatments for full-blown PTSD, early interventions are lacking. This study is about the use of Tetris in preventing PTSD, specifically preventing traumatic memories from forming in long-term memory.įlashbacks are the hallmark symptom of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). So,, BBC News, even my own homeplace’s newspaper picked up via Reuters. Originally picked this article up from BPS Research Digest Blog, then news spread through mainstream and blogging news.
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