Can Brain Training Help Reduce Cognitive Decline as We Age?
by Dr Erman Misirlisoy, Lead Neuroscientist at Peak.net
For most games, the central question is whether they are fun to play. The ultimate concern for brain training games is a little different: can they really offer more than just entertainment? For older people with declining cognitive abilities, this question is particularly important.
The BBC reported recently that brain training — playing digital games that test memory and problem solving — might actually benefit older people. The study (1) was conducted over six months by researchers at King’s College London (KCL), and involved nearly 7,000 people aged 50 and over. The results suggested that online mental exercises were not only improving cognitive performance in gameplay, but were also helping people with everyday skills such as shopping and cooking.
Other studies have reported similar cognitive benefits from brain training in elderly people. Some show that cognitive control and speed can be improved with games that focus on multitasking (2, 3) or arithmetic ability (4). Another study with people over the age of 60 showed that memory training tasks improved general memory abilities (5).
It takes a significant investment to get real-life benefits from gaming. Consistency and persistence are important factors: in the KCL study above (1), people who played the game at least five times a week for 10 minutes each time saw the most benefit. Most studies train participants for at least 5–8 hours before they measure any cognitive benefits.
So could brain training games reduce cognitive decline with age? More high quality studies are necessary before any robust conclusion can be made but the evidence so far is encouraging. Several papers reviewing all currently available research suggest that computerised training tasks and games improve cognitive ability, both for healthy elderly people (6, 7), and for patients with mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s disease (8, 9, 10).
If the brain can be ‘trained’ in this way, it is thanks to neuroplasticity, which allows the brain to adapt as we learn. Neural pathways that we frequently use become stronger, while those that we rarely use are lost or ‘pruned’. This is the neural basis for the adage “practice makes perfect”.
So the more we exercise cognitive functions, the more reliable they are likely to be in the future. If regular gaming can tap into plasticity in the right places, then important functions can be trained and improved in the brain. Cognitive exercises and games may help maintain mental function as we age, so enjoy playing them without the guilt of feeling unproductive!
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References
1. http://www.jamda.com/article/S1525-8610(15)00435-1/fulltext
2. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3983066/
3. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4041116/
4. http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0029676
5. http://www.pnas.org/content/103/33/12523.full
6. http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0040588
8. http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2318/11/55
9. http://www.braintrain.com/Research/Cognitive%20Training%20in%20AD%20Sitzer%20Twamley%20Jeste.pdf
