Video games slow cognitive decline in older people, according to University of Iowa study

Public health researchers in Iowa claim their studies show proof that the playing of video games can slow the natural ageing process of our minds.

A paper published this week by the UI College of Public Health claims that just ten hours of a video game, in a person aged over 50, can delay decline such as memory loss for up to seven years.

Lead author of the paper, Fredric Wolinsky comments: “We not only prevented the decline; we actually sped them up.”

He continues: “As we get older, our visual field collapses on us. We get tunnel vision. It’s a normal functioning of ageing. This helps to explain why most accidents happen at intersections because older folks are looking straight ahead and are less aware of peripherals.”

In pursuit of its findings, the study separated 681 patients considered to be in general good health into four groups, which were then further separated into groups aged between 50–65, and over 65s. Three of these groups were then given a road-themed computer game to play, with the other group given computerised crossword puzzles.

When tested after one year, the groups that played the game for at least 10 hours displayed improvement in their cognitive ability that lasted for three years, with those who played the game for an additional four hours showing up to seven years of improvement.

With conditions such as Alzheimer’s on the increase throughout ageing Western populations, Mr Wolinsky advises more video game activity amongst older people as essential, saying:

“We know that we can stop this decline and actually restore cognitive processing speed to people. So, if we know that, shouldn’t we be helping people? It’s fairly easy, and anyone can go get the training game and play it.”