even reverse deteriorating brain
functions such as memory, reasoning
and visual processing, according to a
study released Wednesday.
The University of Iowa study of
hundreds of people age 50 and older
found that those who played a
videogame were able to improve a
range of cognitive skills, and reverse
up to seven years of age-related
declines.
"We know that we can stop this
decline and actually restore cognitive
processing speed to people," said
Fredric Wolinsky, a University of Iowa
professor of public health and lead
author of the paper published in the
journal PLOS One.
"So, if we know that, shouldn't we be
helping people? It's fairly easy, and
older folks can go get the training
game and play it."
The study is the latest in a series of
research projects examining why
people, as they age, lose "executive
function" of the brain, which is needed
for memory, attention, perception and
problem solving.
Wolinsky and colleagues separated
681 generally healthy patients in Iowa
into four groups. Each of those was
split into segments with people 50 to
64 years of age and those over age
65.
One group was given computerized
crossword puzzles, while three other
groups were asked to play a
videogame called "Road Tour," which
revolves around identifying a type of
vehicle displayed fleetingly on a license
plate.
Participants were asked to re-identify
the vehicle type and match it with a
road sign displayed from a circular
array of possibilities.
The player must succeed at least
three out of every four tries to
advance to the next level, which
speeds up the vehicle identification
and adds more distractions.
"The game starts off with an
assessment to determine your current
speed of processing. Whatever it is,
the training can help you get about 70
percent faster," Wolinsky said.
The groups that played the game at
least 10 hours, either at home or in a
lab at the university, gained at least
three years of cognitive improvement
when tested after one year.
A group that got four additional hours
of training with the game did even
better, improving their cognitive
abilities by four years, according to the
study.
"We not only prevented the decline (in
cognitive abilities), we actually sped
them up," Wolinsky said.
The key appeared to lie in improving
the brain's processing speed, which
can also widen one's field of view.
"As we get older, our visual field
collapses on us," Wolinsky explained.
"We get tunnel vision. It's a normal
functioning of aging. This helps to
explain why most accidents happen at
intersections because older folks are
looking straight ahead and are less
aware of peripherals."
The study builds on research begun in
the 1990s on efforts to improve
memory, reasoning and visual
processing speed.
The researchers found those who
played "Road Tour" scored far better
than the crossword puzzle group in
functions such as concentration,
nimbleness with shifting from one
mental task to another and the speed
at which new information is processed.
The improvement ranged from 1.5
years to nearly seven years in
cognitive improvement, the study
found.
"It's the 'use it or lose it'
phenomenon," Wolinsky said. "Age-
related cognitive decline is real, it's
happening and it starts earlier and
then continues steadily. The good
news is we can do something about
it."
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