Video games ‘improve memory and may cut risk of dementia’

BRAIN-TRAINING games boost the memory and may reduce the risk of dementia, research suggests.

A study by Cambridge University found that video games improved the brain function of those with early memory problems, which can be a precursor to Alzheimer’s disease.

Participants were given games to play on an ipad, in which they tried to win gold coins by putting different patterns in their correct places.

Brain training games have soared in popularity, but many people get bored with their repetitive nature. The new app – called Game Show – becomes increasingly challenging as players succeed to keep them stimulated.

The trials tested the game on 42 patients over 45 with amnestic mild cognitive impairment, which can be a warning sign of dementia. For a month, half played Game Show for two hours a week and the rest no video games at all. The results, published in the International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, showed players improved their “episodic” memory by about 40 per cent. This helps in day-to-day activities such as remembering where keys were left, or where people parked in a multistorey car park. Prof Barbara Sahakian,

‘This type of brain training is a promising way to improve early symptoms of diseases such as Alzheimer’s’

one of the inventors, said: “Brain training can be beneficial, but it needs to be based on sound research. Our game allowed us to individualise a patient’s training programme and make it fun.”

Larger trials are planned to see how long the benefits last.

Dr Carol Routledge, of Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “Game Show could hold some benefit for people with mild memory problems. But without more research we can’t tell if the same benefits could be achieved with any other electronic game.

“The fear of a dementia diagnosis is at an all-time high, so there is a lot of interest in cognitive brain training.”

Around 850,000 Britons have dementia, but the figure is expected to reach one million by 2025. There is currently no cure, but some drugs can control the symptoms.

Dr Tara Spires-jones, the interim director at the Centre for Cognitive and Neural Systems at Edinburgh University, said the findings were “promising”.

She added: “While this type of brain training will not ultimately be able to prevent or cure memory diseases like dementia, they are a promising way to improve early memory symptoms of the disease. The results reinforce previous work that cognitive [brain] training improves memory in people with mild cognitive impairment.”