Video games are a powerful tool for researchers trying to find ways to reverse negative effects of aging on the brain.
In fact, the scientists revealed a new study that shows a video game they designed helps improve cognitive control in older people, according to UC San Francisco news release.
The researchers' findings were published in the journal Nature.
The University stated their scientists were able to design a 3-D video game that can "improve cognitive performance in healthy older adults," according to news release.
"In the game, which was developed by the UCSF researchers, participants race a car around a winding track while a variety of road signs pop up," the University said. "Drivers are instructed to keep an eye out for a specific type of sign, while ignoring all the rest, and to press a button whenever that particular sign appears. The need to switch rapidly from driving to responding to the signs - i.e. multitasking - generates interference in the brain that undermines performance. The researchers found that this interference increases dramatically across the adult lifespan."
The participants ages 60-85 received 12 hours of training on the video over a month, and reportedly did better playing the game than some "20-somethings who played the game for the first time."
The training help older people improve their working memory and sustained attention. Researchers say the participants were able to maintain their sharpened skills six months after the training had ended.
"The finding is a powerful example of how plastic the older brain is," said Adam Gazzaley, MD, PhD, UCSF associate professor of neurology, physiology and psychiatry and director of the Neuroscience Imaging Center. Gazzaley co-founded the company, Akili Interactive Labs, which is developing the next generation of the video game.
To get the full story about the video game study, click here.
