Published: 02/14/11, 4:20 PM / Last Update: 02/14/11, 4:28 PM
Tel Aviv Study: Computer Games and Memory Improvement
by Hillel Fendel
A study carried out at the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center shows that certain computer games improve cognitive capacity better than others.
The results of the study, which examined 155 subjects aged between 61 and 75, have been published in the latest edition of Neuro-epidemiology Journal. The study was overseen by Prof. Nir Giladi, MD, of the Center’s Department of Neurology.
The purpose of the study was to check the oft-stated claim that cognitive training can result in cognitive gains in healthy older adults – and specifically, whether personalized computerized cognitive training provides greater benefits than those obtained by playing conventional computer games.
For a three-month period, subjects were assigned to either a personalized, computerized cognitive training or to a computer games group. They engaged in three 20-minute computer sessions each week. Cognitive performance was assessed before and after the three months by a neuropsychological assessment battery.
The assessments found that both groups improved in cognitive performance – but in the personalized cognitive training group, the improvement was significant in all eight cognitive domains, while improvement in the computer games group was significant in only 4-6 domains
The researchers stated that further studies are needed to evaluate the ecological validity of these findings.
Prof. Giladi stated, “The research shows that computer exercises improve cognitive performance, apparently on the basis of exercises that require problem solving, decision making, providing speedy and correct responses, dealing with variable spatial data, [and more].”
