Video game shows promising results for treating depression

The results indicated that the group using Project: EVO demonstrated specific cognitive benefits, such as attention, compared to the behavioral therapy, and saw similar improvements in mood and self-reported function.

"While EVO was not directly designed to treat depressive symptoms; we hypothesized that there may indeed be beneficial effects on these symptoms by improving cognitive issues with targeted treatment, and so far, the results are promising," Anguera was quoted as saying in a news release from UW.

A second study, another joint effort by UW and UCSF, randomized more than 600 people across the United States assessed as moderately or mildly depressed to one of three interventions: Akili's Project: EVO; iPST, an app deployment of problem-solving therapy; or a placebo control, an app called Health Tips, which offered healthy suggestions.

Arean, the lead researcher on this study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (JIMR), found people who were mildly depressed were able to see improvements in all three groups, including the placebo. However, those individuals who were more than mildly depressed showed a greater improvement of their symptoms following their use of Project: EVO or iPST versus the placebo.

Noting that much of her research is aimed at providing effective treatment to people who need it, and these results provide great potential for helping people who don't have the resources to access effective problem solving therapy, Arean said the apps should be used under clinical supervision because without a human interface, people were not as motivated to use it. In the JIMR study, 58 percent of participants did not download the app.