Researchers at Oxford University have found that playing Tetris, which involves moving coloured building blocks around, after a major shock can help in reducing the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

According to them, because the brain is split into two — one section is sensory and the other is analytical - and as there are limits to people’s abilities to do two things at a time, the computer game is able to “interfere with the way our memories are retained in the brain”.

“Tetris works by competing for the brain’s resources for sensory information. It specifically interferes with the way sensory memories are laid down in the period after trauma and thus reduces the number of flashbacks that are experienced afterwards,” lead researcher Dr Emily Holmes said.

In their study, the researchers showed 40 volunteers traumatic images of injury from various sources, including adverts highlighting the dangers of drink driving.

After waiting for 30 minutes, 20 of the volunteers played Tetris for ten minutes while the rest did nothing. The researchers found that those who had played the computer game experienced significantly fewer flashbacks over the next week, The Daily Telegraph reported.

Now, the researchers believe that the discovery could lead to new treatments for accident victims. “This is only a first step in showing that this may be a viable approach to preventing post-traumatic stress disorder.

“This was a pure science experiment about how the mind works from which we can try to understand the bigger picture. (But) there is a lot to be done to translate this experimental science result into a potential treatment,” Dr Holmes said.

Added co-researcher Dr Catherine Deeprose: “We know there is a period of up to six hours in which it is possible to affect certain types of memories that are laid down in the human mind.

“We have shown that in healthy volunteers, playing Tetris in this time window can reduce flashback-type memories without wiping out the ability to make sense of the event.”