It is a usual scene seeing kids playing video games but a new study show that it can boost the memory of elderly people. Video games that can improve the memory and attention span of elderly people for up to six months are being developed by scientists.
Study of 60-85-year-old people show that car racing video games improved their memory and attention.
The benefits can be noticed after six months of brain training games, said researcher Dr Adam Gazzaley of the University of California San Francisco, who led the study. He said the result “is a powerful example of how plastic the older brain is.”
“The game is particularly effective because it becomes more difficult as players improve, continuing to exercise their brain as much as possible,” he said.
In this research, as the memory of the older group improved, their brain waves became more similar to those of younger people. Thus, researchers thought the training by video game was improving their ability to stay engaged in a active state for a longer period. The patent of the game known as “NeuroRacer” is still in pending state. Further studies are needed to find out exactly how the game causes people’s mental performance to change and then patent of the game can be achieved, said Dr Adam Gazzaley.
Memory loss is a symptom in some illness like ADHD, depression and dementia. In these illnesses, this video game will help, say researchers.
But some scientist disagreed with this procedure. They said this method is not yet sufficiently proven for older people. But, everyone agreed on one point: a moderately gaming experience is always good fun, whatever the age, and it cannot do damage.