September 2013, San Francisco, US. A team of researchers have successfully linked video games with cognition in older adults and have developed a system to reverse the effects of aging on memory and concentration.
Throughout the past years there has been an ongoing tendency of blaming video games for the moral and cognitive decline of people, with claims that they promote violence and lead to the “dumbing down” of people that play them. But what if, instead of being detrimental to our brains, video games were to prove helpful?
This is the question that a team of researchers from the University of California set out to answer, by developing gaming-like software that both tests and stimulates cognition. They recruited participants with ages evenly distributed between 20 and 79 who were allowed to try their hand at a game that measured their response times and their multitasking abilities. After undergoing roughly 12 hours of training, spread throughout the duration of a month, the results were surprising: the cognitive abilities of people past their 60s surpassed that of most 20-something year olds at the beginning of the experiment. Not only that, but effects remained noticeable for up to 6 months.
The main reason for which these results are amazing is that it challenges our knowledge of how plastic the human brain gets as it ages, thus suggesting that age-induced cognitive decline is not an irreversible reality, but something that could be combated (without the use of drugs such as stimulants, nootropics, etc.).
The main reason behind the success of this software in improving cognition is that it challenges the “good is good enough” mentality that people tend to slip into when learning new skills. The game, essentially built like a driving simulator, makes use of distractions and surprises to keep the participant on his or her toes, consistently testing and improving response time and the capacity to interpret data fast and accurately.
A key element in the success of this software is the measurement system used, where participants had the activity in their prefrontal cortex measured. Research revealed that, as the challenges of the game increased, the activity in the brains of the elder groups became more similar to that of the younger ones, essentially reactivating and revitalizing parts of the brain that become more sedentary as people age.
Another aspect that was measured and experienced increases throughout the testing was the sustained attention capacity of the participants. As people age, their attention span and ability to concentrate tends to decrease, phenomenon that was believed to be associated with the reduced amount of oxygen managing to circulate through the brain. This study reveals that the causes might be slightly different than the conventionally accepted ones, sustained attention increasing in older participants, as revealed by the standardized TOVA (Test of Variables of Attention).
The results of this study bring great hope in the fields of neuroscience, as it presents potential ways of stimulating the brain through non-chemical measures (thus avoiding the various types of medication involved in treating or preventing cognitive degeneration). It is particularly encouraging for people suffering from ADHD and various forms of dementia (such as Alzheimer’s disease or senility), as it stimulates the activity of theta waves, most commonly associated with memory and attention.
People suffering from the above-mentioned conditions start off by experiencing either memory loss or increased difficulty focusing on activities for longer periods of time, both of which are usually associated with a sharp decrease in a person’s ability to multitask. It would seem that this decrease is not a byproduct of the other symptoms, but a symptom in itself. This is another reason for which “gaming therapy,” as this method of treatment is currently being referred to, could be successful, as most of the people suffering from these conditions are either young (in the case of ADD and ADHD), or have had vast experiences with doctors and medication, thus being a bit apprehensive towards conventional means of treatment.
The best part about the results of this research? There are virtually no side-effects! The software is developed in such a way that you do not need to sit in front of the screen for hours or perform extensive training in order to operate it and it’s based entirely on a driving simulator. Participants are only required to keep an eye out for a specific sign that is placed on the road and asked to ignore all other. This means that they have to control the car as to ensure it stays on the road, while also “scanning the road” with their peripheral vision for certain markers, hence leading to the multitasking effect mentioned earlier. What makes this game so accessible for people is that it asks them to perform an activity that most of them are familiar with, either from reality or other driving simulation games.
Unfortunately, there is still much testing to do before this type of study can be converted into a means of treatment. The duration of the effects after people took part in the study has been restricted to only a few months, but there is no information regarding the advances that can be made with consistent brain training using this type of software.
The implications of the research are very valuable nonetheless, be it to the medical professionals or an average person .The underlying message is that people can keep their minds young and regain some of that youthful ability of understanding, simply by challenging their brains to work more than they normally would. This applies not only to visual stimulation, but can be affected by sounds (such as listening to music or learning how to play an instrument), and touch (learning how to perform presopuncture or massage therapy).
Bottom line? The best way of keeping your mind sharp and focused is not to become complacent and to constantly challenge yourself, no matter the medium you choose to do so. Therefore, next time you want to scold your teenager for spending too much time on video games, first ask yourself if it wouldn’t benefit both of you for you to sit down and join them. (6)
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