Study shows video games could cut elderly dementia risk by almost 30 per cent, but sceptics say it’s ‘implausible’
Randomised clinical trial involved more than 2,800 people and used a training exercise to test the brain’s plasticity, skills of perception, decision-making, thinking and remembering
Could playing video games help keep the brain agile as we age?
A new study suggests older adults who practice specific computer training exercises, which test response times to visual stimuli, could have a 29 per cent lower chance of developing dementia. Experts have called the results encouraging, as more work is needed to confirm the link.
The randomised clinical trial involving more than 2,800 people was funded by the US National Institutes of Health, and used a specific brain training exercise called “Double Decision”, a patented programme by Posit Science available on BrainHQ.com.
The exercises tested a person’s ability to look at an object in the centre of the screen, like a truck, and click on an object that popped up in the periphery, like a car. As the user improves, the exercises move faster and become more difficult.
The idea is to exercise the brain’s ability to change – known as plasticity – and test skills of perception, decision-making, thinking and remembering.