This document discusses managing hypersensitivity after an acquired brain injury and developing games to help with overstimulation. It notes that over 50% of people with an ABI experience sensory hypersensitivity. A training program is described that aims to teach people skills to deal with overstimulation in daily life. The document also covers using games based on neuropsychological principles to target cognitive rehabilitation through gameplay on smartphones. It requests expanding an existing game called The Botanist to include new games stimulating other brain areas and discusses debates around the possibility of cognitive enhancement through brain training.

1. MANAGE YOUR
HYPERSENSITIVITY
Stephan Aarts
stephan@yellowriders.com

3. Manage Your Hypersensitivity
● After an acquired brain injury (ABI) caused by a cerebral infarction or accident, more than 50%
suffer from 'stimuli', or sensory hypersensitivity (overstimulation)
● Therapy is over, you’re on your own now!
● Wiped out common habits:
• Don’t know how to put on your pants
• Afraid to go to the supermarket (crowded, mass of products)
• Panic at the rail station after one little distraction…
● We aim at people with ability to learn
● A training to learn how to deal with overstimulation in daily life.

4. ART & SCIENCE
● Applied games are often in conflict with knowledge and fun: too much fun or too much science.
● Game principles: Engagement, Motivation, Compelling, Visibility
● Yellow Riders principles
It’s just a game! It is a game!
Patient is a human being
Less unpleasant, if possible fun
Reality is limited, virtually, everything is possible
Iteration, iteration, iteration.

6. ART & SCIENCE
Neuropsychological treatment route for people with acquired brain injury (ABI):
● 2005 Prof Dr Fasotti: field of clinical neuropsychology -> Neuropsychological
realization -> cognitive rehabilitation -> cognitive training
● 2018 Prof Dr Fasotti & Dr Bertens: Clinical neuropsychology ->
Neuropsychological realization -> cognitive rehabilitation -> cognitive training
-> Brain training / game therapy

7. GAMEPLAY
● The Botanist & the animals (Schakelaar), a game for smartphones designed
for people with overstimulation. You play the game by following instructions
via your headphones, the screen, and vibrations, in order to be able to get
from A to B. The instructions become more complex as you progress through
the game. The game creates new levels through algorithms (content
generation) so that every play session is always new.

16. CREATE SUPERMAN (BRAIN)
Request to expand the Botanist game with a range of 4 new games to stimulate
other brain areas
1. Cognitive Enhancement is not possible!
Training the brain: fact and fad in cognitive and behavioral remediation. Rabipour & Raz. University of Ottawa 2012
2. Is it not possible?
Brain training Hype or Hope? Van Heugten, Pond, Kessels. Maastricht University 2016
3. It is possible!
Fasotti & Bertens, Radboud University & Donders Institute 2019

17. “PLAY IS THE HIGHEST FORM OF RESEARCH”
Albert Einstein
Stephan Aarts
+31 6 44873306
stephan@yellowriders.com