Brain training with non-action video games enhances aspects of cognition in older adults: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Age-related cognitive and brain declines can result in functional deterioration in many cognitive domains, dependency, and dementia. A major goal of aging research is to investigate methods that help to maintain brain health, cognition, independent living and wellbeing in older adults. This randomized controlled study investigated the effects of 20 1-h non-action video game training sessions with games selected from a commercially available package (Lumosity) on a series of age-declined cognitive functions and subjective wellbeing. Two groups of healthy older adults participated in the study, the experimental group who received the training and the control group who attended three meetings with the research team along the study. Groups were similar at baseline on demographics, vocabulary, global cognition, and depression status. All participants were assessed individually before and after the intervention, or a similar period of time, using neuropsychological tests and laboratory tasks to investigate possible transfer effects. The results showed significant improvements in the trained group, and no variation in the control group, in processing speed (choice reaction time), attention (reduction of distraction and increase of alertness), immediate and delayed visual recognition memory, as well as a trend to improve in Affection and Assertivity, two dimensions of the Wellbeing Scale. Visuospatial working memory (WM) and executive control (shifting strategy) did not improve. Overall, the current results support the idea that training healthy older adults with non-action video games will enhance some cognitive abilities but not others.

Can Digital Games Be a Way of Improving the Neuroplasticity in Stroke Damage? Can the Adult Brain Grow New Cells or Rewire Itself in Response to a New Experience?

“…The concern is that if we have begun to figure out how a video game or digital game improves cognition in players or naive people by bettering attention, and how are reaction times on "making a decision" and memory without using the conventional or violent video games [46]. [47]. However, the experience with these games to assess the integrity of perioperative neuropsychological functions is still scarce.…”

Electronic Games and Elderly Cognition – A Systematic Review

“…Dos nove estudos analisados, sete encontraram benefícios em ao menos uma das funções cognitivas (Eggenberger, Schumacher, Angst, Theill & Bruin, 2015;Ballesteros et al, 2014;Peretez et al, 2011;Maillot, Perrot & Hartley, 2012;O'Brien et al, 2013;Mayas, Parmentier, Andrés & Ballesteros, 2014;Nouchi et al, 2012). Com relação aos outros dois estudos, um deles era um follow-up que verificou que os benefícios encontrados após o treinamento inicial desapareceram após três meses (Ballesteros et al, 2015) e o outro constatou que o jogo eletrônico utilizado como forma de treinamento da percepção não a aprimorou (Ackerman, Kanfer & Calderwood, 2010).…”

“…Contudo, esses autores notaram em seu follow-up que os benefícios gerados por seu treinamento cognitivo se mantiveram após seis meses, diferenciando-se dos achados de Ballesteros et al (2015). Cabe ressaltar que o jogo eletrônico utilizado por Anguera et al (2013) foi diferente dos jogos eletrônicos utilizados pelos demais autores estudados na presente revisão (Eggenberger, Schumacher, Angst, Theill & Bruin, 2015;Ballesteros et al, 2014;Peretez et al, 2011;Maillot, Perrot & Hartley, 2012;O'Brien et al, 2013;Mayas, Parmentier, Andrés & Ballesteros, 2014;Nouchi et al, 2012;Ballesteros et al, 2015;Ackerman, Kanfer & Calderwood, 2010).…”

Jogos Eletrônicos como Instrumentos de Intervenção no Declínio Cognitivo – Uma Revisão Sistemática

“…Alguns estudos que utilizaram amostras de idosos saudáveis trabalharam com uma variação similar no número de sessões semanais expostas na tabela 3, porém a duração das sessões se manteve estável em uma hora (Ackerman, Kanfer, & Calderwood, 2015;Ballesteros et al, 2014;Mailott, Perrot, & Hartley, 2012;Mayas et al, 2014). Embora não tenha sido claramente especificado pelos autores, uma hipótese seria que idosos acometidos por algum tipo de declínio cognitivo necessitam de mais tempo, tanto para aprender a interagir com o jogo eletrônico proposto, como para apresentar benefício em determinada função cognitiva quando comparados a idosos saudáveis ou até mesmo adultos e jovens.…”