Assessment of executive functions using a 3D-video game in children and adolescents with ADHD.

Objective: Executive functions are important factors that affect the well-being of children with ADHD. Therefore, inclusion of a convenient assessment of executive dysfunction in diagnosis and treatment of ADHD patients is warranted. However, executive dysfunction assessment presently relies on lab-based neuropsychological tests and symptom rating scales.

Novel 3-D action video game mechanics reveal differentiable cognitive constructs in young players, but not in old.

Video game research predominantly uses a "one game-one function" approach-researchers deploy a constellation of task-like minigames to span multiple domains or consider a complex video game to essentially represent one cognitive construct. To profile cognitive functioning in a more ecologically valid setting, we developed a novel 3-D action shooter video game explicitly designed to engage multiple cognitive domains. We compared gameplay data with results from a web-based cognitive battery (WebCNP) for 158 participants (aged 18-74).