Video games can be fun and provide a way to have fun, but they could also help our cognitive abilities. This is the promise of a new rhythm game that can teach drumming and improve short-term memory.
In a Study47 adults between 60 and 79 years old were divided into 2 groups, one playing the rhythm game (called Rhythmicity), and the other playing a regular word search game. They played for 20 minutes a days, 5 days a weeks for 8 week.
The differences between the two groups were clear: as players advanced in Rhythmicity, its methods of targeting visual perception and selective attention had a knock on effect on short-term memories, as demonstrated by a face recognition exercise.
Researchers wrote that only the rhythm training group showed improved short-term memory in a face recognition task. This is consistent with their hypothesis. Published paper.
Rhythmicity was invented with drummers Mickey HartOne of the Grateful Death’s members, he used visual clues and instructions to help participants learn how to play a rhythm on a tablet. As players advanced, the pace, complexity and precision required were all adjusted.
It adapts to its user, adjusting the difficulty level to make it more challenging without compromising the gaming experience.
This was the post-training analysis. electroencephalography(EEG) in recognition tasks involving unknown faces. Rhythmicity players were better at identifying faces after the eight-week course, and the EEG readings showed increased activity in the superior parietal lobule – the brain region linked to sight reading music and short-term visual memory.
“That memory was improved at all was incredible.” Theodore Zanto is a neuroscientistUniversity of California, San Francisco (UCSF).
“This memory training component is very powerful and can be applied to all forms of memory.”
The researchers behind the study have been busy in this field since 2013 when they developed a game called NeuroRacer – a game that’s been shown able to significantly Improve mental abilities and sustained attention.For older adults, it takes just four weeks.
The game Body-Brain Trainer was then followed. Recent research has shown thatIt is capable of improving blood pressure, balance and attention in older people. To adapt to the fitness levels of participants, the software received heart rate data continuously.
The virtual reality Labyrinth, which encourages users to spatial wayfinding, is another game. It has been proven.After four weeks of training, it can increase long-term memory for older adults.
While cognitive control declines with age, these games show that there are still ways to keep our minds sharp.
These games share the same adaptive algorithms and approach but use very different types activities. All of them show that cognitive abilities can be improved in this population. says neuroscientist Adam GazzaleyUCSF.
The research has been published in PNAS.
