Online brain-training games can improve memory in older people, a new study has revealed.
Researchers at McGill University led a clinical trial of 92 healthy adults aged 65 and older. Participants were randomly assigned to spend 30 minutes a day doing an online activity for 10 weeks.
Half the group did online brain exercises on a game-like app called BrainHQ, while the other half in the control group played games designed for entertainment. BrainHQ offers speed-based exercises that become progressively more challenging and attention-demanding, shown to be effective in hundreds of studies.
The study, called INHANCE (Improving Neurological Health in Aging via Neuroplasticity-based Computerized Exercise), found that the adults who used BrainHQ everyday for 10 weeks had enhanced cholinergic function, a chemical system in the brain that influences attention, memory and decision-making, and typically declines with age.
“The training restored cholinergic health to levels typically seen in someone 10 years younger,” said senior author Dr Etienne de Villers-Sidani, an associate professor in McGill’s Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery and neurologist at The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital).
“This is the first time any intervention, drug or non-drug, has been shown to do that in humans,” he said.
Researchers used a special PET scan and tracer to track brain changes, allowing them to see how active the cholinergic system was before and after training.
“We used a rare technology,” said Dr de Villers-Sidani. “The Neuro is one of the few centres worldwide that can produce the tracer and run the scan.”
He added: “A lot of people assume crossword puzzles or reading are enough to keep the brain sharp. But not all activities truly promote neuroplasticity.”
Alzheimer’s disease, which is the most common cause of dementia, involves a decline in cholinergic health.
According to the NHS, Alzheimer’s is most common in people over the age of 65, and the risk of the disease and other types of dementia increases with age, affecting an estimated 1 in 14 people over the age of 65 and 1 in every 6 people over the age of 80.
But around 1 in every 13 people with Alzheimer’s disease are under the age of 65. This is called early- or young-onset Alzheimer’s disease.
The results of the study shows these exercises reduce dementia risk and boost cognition. The researchers say this training could offer a lower-risk alternative to medication or be used alongside it, and are planning a follow-up study to test the program in people with early-stage dementia.
The study is published in JMIR Serious Games and the research was supported by the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health.