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A video game may be the answer to those struggling with mild or moderate late-life depression. According to a study by the University of Washington Health Sciences/UW Medicine, researches have found that people struggling with late-life depression showed improvements after using Project: EVO, a digital platform designed to "potentially improve cognition and disease symptoms through entirely at-home digital interaction." Lead by Patricia Areán, a UW Medicine researcher in psychiatry and behavioral sciences, the team conducted two studies. The first study used a group of older adults (ages 60+) who suffered from late-life depression. The group was randomized into groups that received Project: EVO and those that received in-person therapy treatment known as problem-solving therapy. The study showed that those who played the game five times a week for 20 minutes or more saw mood and brain improvements as well as an increase in cognitive benefits. A second study randomized 600 people diagnosed with mild or moderate depression into three groups of three different depression apps: Project: EVO, a problem-solving therapy app, or a placebo control (an app called Health Tips, which offers healthy life suggestions.) People with mild depression saw greater improvements after using Project: EVO and the problem-solving app over the placebo. “These results provide great potential for helping people who don’t have the resources to access effective problem solving therapy,�� Dr. Areán told Science Daily. “The apps should be used under clinical supervision because without a human interface, people were not as motivated to use it.�� Project: EVO is currently undergoing multiple clinical trials for use in cognitive disorders including Alzheimer's, traumatic brain injury and ADHD.