Playing Tetris could ease psychological trauma

Playing the computer puzzle game Tetris could help reduce the flashbacks experienced by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) sufferers, scientists have said.

Researchers at Oxford University found playing the game could disrupt memories that are retained from the sights witnessed at the time, which are later re-experienced through involuntary, distressing flashbacks of that moment.

This is because playing the game competes with the sensory part of the brain, which is used to store memories.

They showed a film to 40 healthy volunteers, which included traumatic images of injury from a variety of sources. This included adverts highlighting the dangers of drink driving.

After waiting for 30 minutes, half the volunteers played Tetris for 10 minutes while the rest did nothing. Those who had played the computer game experienced significantly fewer flashbacks of the film over the next week.

Dr Emily Holmes, of the Department of Psychiatry at Oxford University, stressed that the experiment was only in its preliminary stage.

“This was a pure science experiment about how the mind works, from which we can try to understand the bigger picture. There is a lot to be done to translate this experimental science result into a potential treatment,” she said.

“We know there is up to six hours in which it is possible to affect certain types of memories that are laid down in the human mind.

"We have shown that in healthy volunteers, playing Tetris in this period can reduce flashback-type memories without wiping out the ability to make sense of the event.”