Many seniors enjoy puzzle games which can help keep their brains healthy. These potentially beneficial puzzle games for the brain have become increasingly popular in recent years thanks to the increasing presence of computers and smartphones in everyday life. They can take the form of card games or games designed more specifically to exercise memory, attention and speed of execution.
As you age, you may begin to forget certain events or lose personal belongings. While frequent forgetfulness or severe memory loss can be a sign of Alzheimer’s disease, some forgetfulness is part of normal aging. Although neurological diseases related to this are inevitable, you can adopt certain habits to slow down the process of brain aging. Keeping your brain active, just like your body, is very important at all times in life.
Are games good for the brain?
Do these different games help with good brain health, especially to protect against memory loss? Research has not found that participating in brain games alone reduces the risk of age-related neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease. However, they can improve certain cognitive functions (eg executive functions and working memory) and therefore may play an important role in maintaining brain health.
Games can stimulate certain parts of the brain
Brain games include those involving word manipulation such as crosswords and Scrabble, but also traditional games such as chess, Sudoku and bridge. More recently, studies have reported the effects of video games in the brain, even some slot games like pg slot เว็บตรง. Some websites are increasingly offering a full selection of games in response to growing interest from old and young alike. For example, scientists from Berlin (Max Planck Institute) have found that the Super Mario video game can stimulate the areas of the brain responsible for good cognitive functioning. They asked adults to play for 30 minutes for 2 months and then analyzed their brain activity using the magnetic resonance technique. Thus, the areas responsible for spatial orientation, memory formation, strategic planning, in particular the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex, present a greater number of connections between neurons. This study suggests a link between visual games and an increase in the volume of certain areas of the brain.
Another study showed that 3D platform games could ward off brain disorders, including mild cognitive impairment, and possibly even prevent Alzheimer’s disease. The research team behind this study recruited 33 people, aged 55 to 75. Participants were asked for six months to play Super Mario 64 for 30 minutes a day, five days a week, to take piano lessons (for the first time in their lives) with the same frequency, or not to perform particular task. According to the results of the MRI test, only participants in the video game cohort saw increases in gray matter volume in the hippocampus and cerebellum. Their short-term memory also improved.
Finally, a study published in the scientific journal Neurology in 2019 found that mentally stimulating activities such as computer use, gaming and participation in social activities are linked to lower risk or slower heart rate. mild cognitive impairment, a condition thought to be a precursor to dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.