Thread by @DavidsAlienHerb

1/ "Fits at Chess" might seem like a punchline, but it's a real health concern 🧠. I've been exploring research papers on the negative effects of #Chess on well-being, societies, and ecosystems, and found the first report of chess triggering #epilepsy from 1965. #NorwayChess

2/ These cases fall into a category of reflex #epilepsy - seizures are activated by specific, identifiable triggers. Such triggers can be external (flashing lights, hot water 🚿), internal (emotions, thought 💭), or a mix of both.
#chess #NorwayChess #neuroscience #brain

3/ Among reflex #epilepsies, the most common are those triggered by visual stimuli or light changes (1 in 4,000). Much rarer triggers include eating 🍎, music 🎵(1:10 M), writing ✍️, orgasm 💋 and even lying. #Chess, other #boardgames, and #cards can also trigger seizures.

4/ #Chess and other #games 🎲♟️ can induce #epilepsy as they demand thinking and decision-making, or involve physical execution of movements. In one case, psychological tests pinpointed "abstract thinking" as the trigger - see the paper.
#NorwayChess

5/ It's not just the mental strain. Emotions can also contribute. For instance, seizures occurred in a #chess player when they felt threatened or were on the defensive 😨🛡️.

6/ Here's the kicker: you don't need to play. Watching is enough 👀. One case in the first paper about chess-induced #epilepsy described a man who had seizures twice, 11 years apart, while spectating a Chinese #Chess game. 🀄

7/ ♟️Before you worry, chess-induced #epilepsy is extremely rare. Also, there's no direct link between the loss of 🧠 grey matter typical for #chess players. For a tongue-in-cheek (but based on science) look at how chess could "wreck your #brain," see

8/Here's a nice open-access review on reflex #epilepsy. It discusses different types, symptoms, prevalence, genetics, and treatments. See the full table 1 in the paper. 📚🔍
dovepress.com/reflex-epileps…

9/I'll keep delving into #research on the negative effects of #Chess on societies and ecosystems. So many studies to explore! ♟️🔬 Next up, a thread on self-reports from a grand master-scientist hybrid! Stay tuned. #NorwayChess #ChessPunks #BoardGames

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