Patricia Areán, PhD, Jessica Jenness, PhD, and the Creativ Lab Team are partnering with Lucille Umbarger Elementary School in Burlington, WA and Akili Interactive on a pilot study that examines the impact of incorporating a therapeutic video game, EVO, into the school day. Susan Novak, 6th grade teacher, and Nick Hayes, principal, reached out to Dr. Areán last summer after hearing about her team’s success using EVO to treat depression in older adults.

EVO is a neuroscience-inspired plasticity training video game that targets the cognitive control network, a network related to common psychiatric illnesses in youth. Ms. Novak and Mr. Hayes were eager to see whether EVO could help students reach their potential in the classroom. The 6th grade class at Lucille Umbarger played EVO as a daily part of their school routine for four weeks to explore whether EVO play was associated with improved executive function, academic performance, behavioral difficulties, and mental health.

Collaborators from Akili Interactive recently visited the school to provide an opportunity for the 6th grade class to learn about video game development and to interview EVO players about their experiences with the game. The insightful comments and enthusiasm of the students was terrific! The study is still ongoing, and Drs. Areán and Jenness plan to use this pilot data to apply for funding to support a larger scale project examining the use of EVO in schools.

The Creativ Lab Team, including Kathy Ringwood, Nova Rivera, Brittany Mosser, Jaden Duffy, Amy Good, Kristin Tucker, and Ryan Allred,provided essential support to the project including traveling to the school to complete diagnostic assessments and assisting with EVO administration.