Regular gaming helps some people with mild disabilities, according to one study
For years, scientists have been trying to find out if “brain workouts”, such as puzzles and online cognitive games, could strengthen our minds and slow down the learning process. aging🇧🇷 Now, a study published on New England Journal of Medicine found that the regular practice of crosswords may help slow decline in some people with mild cognitive impairmentan early stage of shaky memorywhich can sometimes progress into folly🇧🇷
While the study didn’t investigate whether crossword puzzles also benefit young adults not dealing with cognitive decline, it does suggest that keeping our minds active as we age may benefit our brains. brain🇧🇷 And research provides hope to those diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment that they may be able to avoid further declines in the memory, language and decision-making problems that are hallmarks of the disease.
The American Academy of Neurology estimates that mild cognitive impairment affects about 8 percent of people aged 65 to 69; 10% of people aged between 70 and 74; 15% of people aged 75-79; 25% of 80-84 year olds and about 37% of 85 year olds and over. The research, funded by the National Institute on Aging, recruited 107 adults, ages 55 to 95, with mild cognitive impairment.
I study
For 12 weeks, everyone was asked to play one of two types of games four times a week: spending 30 minutes on Lumosity, a popular cognitive training platform, or 30 minutes playing a digital crossword puzzle. After the 12 weeks, the participants were reassessed and received “booster” doses of games six more times during the experiment, for a total of 78 weeks. At the end of the study, participants received standard assessments used to measure cognitive decline, and friends and family members reported on their day-to-day functioning.
MRI scans have also been used to measure changes in brain volume. The researchers found that on key measures of cognitive decline scores, functional ability, and changes in brain volume, regular crossword players did better than players of the other game.
The finding surprised the scientists behind the study, who had expected that stimulating web-based brain games designed specifically to boost cognitive function would offer the greatest benefit. “Our study shows quite conclusively that, in people with mild cognitive impairment, crossword puzzles outperform computer games on several metrics,” said Murali Doraiswamy, a professor at Duke University and co-author of the study. “So if you have mild cognitive impairment, which is different from normal aging, the recommendation would be to keep your brain active with crossword puzzles.”
People with higher degrees of cognitive impairment appeared to benefit more from playing a crossword puzzle designed to be a moderately harder puzzle than the jigsaw game. The New York Times🇧🇷
The study has limitations. Some of the participants may be more familiar with crossword puzzles, which is why they responded better to puzzles than Lumosity’s computer games. Years of follow-up are also needed to determine whether interventions like crossword puzzles can “really prevent dementia,” Doraiswamy said. “We’ve known for almost 30, 40 years that staying mentally active is really important,” Doraiswamy said. “But we haven’t translated that into a medical-grade intervention.”
DP Devanand, a Columbia University professor and lead researcher on the study, said the finding needs to be replicated in a larger study, with more participants and a control group that isn’t gambling. “We can’t say exactly why people play crossword puzzles better, but we suggest that practicing crossword puzzles helps with cognition,” Devanand said. Doraiswamy said he hopes future studies can build on current findings to investigate the optimal level of difficulty and time it takes to solve puzzles for people with mild cognitive impairment.
Skeptics
Some researchers remained skeptical. Zach Hambrick, a professor of cognition and neuroscience at Michigan State University, said the study didn’t investigate why crossword puzzles might provide more benefits than a computer game. In 1999, Hambrick co-authored a study that found no evidence to suggest that people who do crossword puzzles more than twice a week experience less cognitive decline.
Hambrick said completing a crossword puzzle, which requires the ability to recall words and historical knowledge gained through experience, tests a person’s “crystallized cognitive abilities.” He said people with mild cognitive impairment have more trouble with “fluid cognition” like remembering a list of words or solving a logic problem. Crossword puzzles don’t challenge these kinds of skills associated with mild cognitive impairment, Hambrick said.
Lumos Labs, the company behind the computer games used in the experiment, provided access to both the crossword puzzle and the game set, but was not involved in the design or publication of the study. Doraiswamy is a consultant for Lumos Labs. Laurie Ryan, chief of clinical interventions at the National Institute on Aging, said the agency funded the research because it’s important to find treatments that reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia. “We’re probably going to need multiple surgeries for different people,” Ryan said. “We are trying to fund as many studies as possible.”
comfort zone
Most researchers agree that keeping the body and mind active as we age likely benefits the brain. Ronald C. Petersen, director of Mayo Clinic’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, said that in addition to regular exercise, he recommends his patients spend more time engaging in intellectually demanding activities, such as watching a documentary or giving a lecture. .
“You have to look for activities that ‘take you out of your comfort zone,'” said Sylvie Belleville, a professor of neuropsychology at the University of Montreal. Like experimenting with different “challenging” tasks or increasing the difficulty of a particular task over time.
“If you’re really good at crossword puzzles and you keep doing it, you’re still in your comfort zone and you’re not adopting new strategies, new brain networks,” Belleville said.
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Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
