Neuroplasticity games for addiction

• US 9,302,179 B1
• Filed: 03/07/2014
• Issued: 04/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Posit Science Corp.
• Original Assignee: Posit Science Corp.
• Inventors: Merzenich, Michael M., Luk, Chung-Hay, Nahum, Mor, Ramanathan, Jyoti Mishra, Van Vleet, Thomas Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Rowland, Steve
• Application Number:
  US14/201,676
• Time in Patent Office: 760 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/47 involving branching, e.g. choosing one of several possible scenarios at a given point in time
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/537 using indicators, e.g. showing the condition of a game character on screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/67 adaptively or by learning from player actions, e.g. skill level adjustment or by storing successful combat sequences for re-use
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/80 Special adaptations for executing a specific game genre or game mode
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/00 Teaching not covered by other main groups of this subclass teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying F41G3/26
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/00 Electrically-operated educational appliances working with questions and answers G09B7/00; simulators G09B9/00; advertising or displaying in general G09F
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/02 with visual presentation of the material to be studied, e.g. using film strip
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/06 with both visual and audible presentation of the material to be studied
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/065 Combinations of audio and video presentations, e.g. videotapes, videodiscs, television systems
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/70 relating to mental therapies, e.g. psychological therapy or autogenous training
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

A training program is configured to systematically drive neurological changes to treat an addiction, wherein a plurality of addiction-related stimuli stimulate craving for the object of the addiction. The training program comprises at least one computerized reverse conditioning game configured to present a plurality of target and distractor stimuli, wherein a subset of the distractor stimuli are addiction-related stimuli, and prompts a game participant to respond to the target stimuli and ignore the distractor stimuli.

Claims

1. A computerized training program to systematically drive neurological changes to treat an addiction, wherein a plurality of addiction-related stimuli stimulate craving for the object of the addiction, the training program comprising:

a computerized reverse conditioning game configured to;

present a plurality of target and distractor stimuli, wherein a subset of the distractor stimuli are addiction-related stimuli;

prompt a game participant to respond to the target stimuli and ignore the distractor stimuli;

receive the game participant'"'"'s input through a game piece;

provide an indication to the game participant of whether the game participant'"'"'s input was accurate or apt;

provide a signal indicative of the game participant'"'"'s performance or game difficulty; and

repeat the presenting through providing a signal steps over multiple repetitions while adapting one or more difficulty parameters to target maintenance of a success rate within a predetermined range; and

a computerized game manager configured to administer the game, manipulate the target and distractor stimuli, and receive input from a game piece;

wherein the addiction is an over-eating disorder, and the distractor stimuli comprise images of food.

2. The training program of claim 1, wherein the target stimuli are positively affective, and another subset of the distractor stimuli are neutral or negatively affective stimuli.

3. The training program of claim 1, wherein the reverse conditioning game gradually increases a salience value of the addiction-related stimuli as the game participant progresses through the game.