• Journal of Korean Academic Society of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.40-47
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• 2011

Purpose: This study investigated changes in neurocognitive function over a 2-month period of board game therapy in patients with schizophrenia. Method: Twenty-one schizophrenic patients treated with board game therapy and nineteen control schizophrenic patients were evaluated with neuropsychological and clinical tests, such as the Wisconsin Card Shorting Test (WCST). The same tests were re-administered after 2 months of board game therapy. Results: At the first series of neuropsychological tests, no difference was seen in performance, demographical aspects, or clinical severity among both patient groups. After 2 months, the group receiving board game therapy showed significant improvement of WCST performances compared to the controls. However, no difference was observed in clinical symptoms between the groups. Conclusion: The results of cognitive enhancement in patients playing board games indicates that board game play, easily used in an inpatient setting, is a promising tool for executive function improvement in chronic schizophrenic patients.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.82-94
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• 2006

Objectives : In order to explore effects of board-game therapy for cognitive rehabilitation in patients with schizophrenia, we investigated the change of executive cognitive function over a 2-month period of board-game therapy in patients with schizophrenia. Methods : Two groups of chronic schizophrenic inpatients were participated in this study. One group(n=21) were treated with board-game therapy for 2 months and the other control group(n=19) were not treated. For the evaluation of the executive cognitive function, a Wisconsin Card Sorting Test(WCST) was administered before and after the introduction of the board-game therapy. PANSS score change was also evaluated. Result : At the beginning of this study, there was no significant difference in performance of cognitive function tests, demographical data or clinical severity between both patient groups. After 2 months of treatment with the board-game therapy, the board-game therapy group showed significant improvements of executive cognitive function without any significant change of their schizophrenic symptoms. On the contrary, there was no change in control group. Conclusion : This study showed that a board-game therapy is effective for the enhancement of executive cognitive function in patients with chronic schizophrenia. A board-game therapy could be introduced with ease into psychiatric fields, such as inpatients' or outpatients' clinic wards and day hospital. Our result indicates that the board-game therapy is a promising tool for the enhancement of cognitive function, especially executive cognitive function and helpful for cognitive rehabilitation for schizophrenic patients.