Do video games make you feel better – or just twitchy? A study (underwritten by PopCap) finds casual video games are effective in reducing anxiety and depression.

Can playing casual video games be good for you? They might be if you suffer from clinical depression, according to the results of a new study carried out at East Carolina University (ECU) and underwritten by PopCap. the study followed 60 subjects suffering from clinical depression, and measured the effect that playing three family-friendly, non-violent games had upon their symptoms and mood. the result: subjects who played the casual games saw an average 57 percent reduction in depression symptoms compared to subjects who did not play the games, as well as improvements in overall mood and an average 20 percent reduction in anxiety levels.

“the results of this study clearly demonstrate the intrinsic value of certain casual games in terms of significant, positive effects on the moods and anxiety levels of people suffering from any level of depression,” said the director of ECU’s psychophysiology lab and biofeedback clinic Dr. Carmen Russoniello, in a statement. “given that only 25 percent of people who suffer from depression are receiving treatment, it seems prudent to make these low cost, readily accessible casual games video games available to those who need them. They should be made available at health clinics, community centers, online ‘medical sites,’ and given out by therapists as a means of intervention.”

The study tracked 60 subjects suffering from clinical depression, monitoring their biochemical, pyscho-physiological, and psychological states. half the subjects played PopCap’s Bejeweled, Peggle, and Bookworm Adventures games, while the rest were in a control group. the “video game group” saw across-the-board reductions in depression, with seven subjects classified as suffering from moderate to severe depression moving to minor or minimal depression categories during the study. the number of subjects classified as suffering from minor depression dropped from nine to four. Even physical symptoms of anxiety and depression improved by an average of 36 percent in to video game group.

The video game group demonstrated both short- and long-term benefits from playing: subjects in the video game group showed improvements in depression and anxiety after 30 minutes of game play compared to the control group, as well as long-term benefits spanning the month-long study.

The study claims to be the first to measure the impact of video games in reducing depression and anxiety. Results of the study should be available from the ECU Web site, although the link was not working at time of publication.

No scorpions live in this part of the world, but ask anyone if they want to get stung by one and the answer will likely be a definitive no.

A former Kinston resident and medical researcher, however, is using the venom for a good cause.

East Carolina University researcher, microbiologist, and former Kinston resident Dr. Jim Fletcher is working on a project which aims to determine if scorpion venom might be used as a way to discover how pancreatitis occurs and what cellular processes are affected at the onset of the disease.

“we have expanded our capabilities a great deal in this study,” Fletcher said. “Through the research, we may be able to determine how to better treat and eventually prevent the disease.”

Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas. The pancreas, a gland located behind the stomach, releases insulin, glucagons and substances that help with digestion. Symptoms of pancreatitis include severe stomach pain radiating to the back, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever/chills, and possibly going into shock.

Scorpion stings are a known to cause a rapid onset of this disease, but they are not the only cause. Fletcher believed scorpion venom might be used as a way to discover how pancreatitis occurs by seeing which cellular processes are affected at the onset of the disease.

“there were publications years ago about the affects of people stung by scorpions, and 90 percent developed pancreatitis,” Fletcher said. “The study I was part of focused on using the venom from the scorpions to cause pancreatitis in experimental tissue, and we can learn what causes it and how it could be prevented.”

The sting can affect the pancreas by shutting down certain proteins the gland uses to create essential body chemicals. By determining which specific proteins the venom shuts down, Fletcher was able to get a better understanding of where pancreatitis comes from.

“We found that a particular enzyme in the scorpion’s venom removes a small protein,” Fletcher said. “If you remove a pancreatic cell’s ability to absorb or release components, you end up with pancreatitis.”

The study was published in the March 5 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

Fletcher grew up in Kinston, attended Grainger High School, went to Virginia Tech to earn his undergraduate degree, earned a masters degree from University of North Carolina at Greensboro and went to Vanderbilt for his Ph.D. he began this research at Rockefeller University in New York, continued at Yale, and is now furthering his research at ECU’s Brody School of Medicine.

Joel Gerber can be reached at 252-559-1076 or jgerber@freedomenc.com.