Dataset Information

TRAINING WITH VIDEO GAMES: EFFECTS ON COGNITIVE AND NEURAL MEASURES OF ATTENTION AND MEMORY

ABSTRACT: Abstract A major goal of aging research is to find out methods that help to maintaining cognitive and brain health in older adults. Cognitive training with non-action video games seems promising to maintaining and/or improving some cognitive functions. Previous longitudinal studies from our laboratory with trained and passive control participants suggest that the aging brain retains some plasticity and that non-action video training might be an effective intervention tool to improve some cognitive abilities, including processing speed, attention and memory. The current randomized controlled (RCT) study (ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT02796508) was designed to overcome some limitations of previous training studies by including an active control group and training expectancy and engagement evaluations. The objectives of this RCT were: (1) to investigate the behavioural and neural effects of training in tasks designed to assess attentional and working memory functions; and (2) to examine the durability of the possible transfer effects after 6 month non-contact period. Seventy-five older adults completed 16 forty-min training sessions over 10–12 weeks. Thirty participants (experimental group) played 10 selected games from Lumosity and 25 (active control group) played The Sims. Behavioral results showed that after training, both groups improved performance in visual n-back and spatial Corsi blocks working memory tasks and were less distracted in a cross-modal oddball task. In summary, these findings suggest certain behavioural improvements after training in both groups. Further analyses of the electrophysiological recordings will unveil possible changes in brain activity associated with changes in task performance after training.

SUBMITTER: Ballesteros S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6184811 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Similar Datasets

Project description:BACKGROUND:Neuroplasticity-based approaches seem to offer promising ways of maintaining cognitive health in older adults and postponing the onset of cognitive decline symptoms. Although previous research suggests that training can produce transfer effects, this study was designed to overcome some limitations of previous studies by incorporating an active control group and the assessment of training expectations. OBJECTIVE:The main objectives of this study are (1) to evaluate the effects of a randomized computer-based intervention consisting of training older adults with nonaction video games on brain and cognitive functions that decline with age, including attention and spatial working memory, using behavioral measures and electrophysiological recordings (event-related potentials [ERPs]) just after training and after a 6-month no-contact period; (2) to explore whether motivation, engagement, or expectations might account for possible training-related improvements; and (3) to examine whether inflammatory mechanisms assessed with noninvasive measurement of C-reactive protein in saliva impair cognitive training-induced effects. A better understanding of these mechanisms could elucidate pathways that could be targeted in the future by either behavioral or neuropsychological interventions. METHODS:A single-blinded randomized controlled trial with an experimental group and an active control group, pretest, posttest, and 6-month follow-up repeated measures design is used in this study. A total of 75 cognitively healthy older adults were randomly distributed into experimental and active control groups. Participants in the experimental group received 16 1-hour training sessions with cognitive nonaction video games selected from Lumosity, a commercial brain training package. The active control group received the same number of training sessions with The Sims and SimCity, a simulation strategy game. RESULTS:We have recruited participants, have conducted the training protocol and pretest assessments, and are currently conducting posttest evaluations. The study will conclude in the first semester of 2017. Data analysis will take place during 2017. The primary outcome is transfer of benefit from training to attention and working memory functions and the neural mechanisms underlying possible cognitive improvements. CONCLUSIONS:We expect that mental stimulation with video games will improve attention and memory both at the behavioral level and in ERP components promoting brain and mental health and extending independence among elderly people by avoiding the negative personal and economic consequences of long-term care. TRIAL REGISTRATION:Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02796508; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02796508 (archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6nFeKeFNB).

Project description:Background: Although several excellent reviews and meta-analyses have investigated the effect of video game trainings as tools to enhance well-being, most of them specifically focused on the effects of digital games on brain plasticity or cognitive decline in children and seniors. On the contrary, only one meta-analysis results to be focused on the adult population, and it is restricted to examining the effects of training with a particular genre of games (action video games) on cognitive skills of healthy adults. Objectives: This systematic review was aimed to identify research evidences about the impact on cognitive [i.e., processing and reaction times (RTs), memory, task-switching/multitasking, and mental spatial rotation] and emotional skills of video games training in the healthy adult population. Methods: A multi-component analysis of variables related to the study, the video games, and the outcomes of the training was made on the basis of important previous works. Databases used in the search were PsycINFO, Web of Science (Web of Knowledge), PubMed, and Scopus. The search string was: [("Video Games" OR "Computer Games" OR "Interactive Gaming")] AND [("Cognition") OR ("Cognitive") OR ("Emotion") OR ("Emotion Regulation")] AND ["Training"]. Results: Thirty-five studies met the inclusion criteria and were further classified into the different analysis' variables. The majority of the retrieved studies used commercial video games, and action games in particular, which resulted to be the most commonly used, closely followed by puzzle games. Effect sizes for training with video games on cognitive skills in general ranged from 0.06 to 3.43: from 0.141 to 3.43 for processing and RTs, 0.06 to 1.82 for memory, 0.54 to 1.91 for task switching/multitasking, and 0.3 to 3.2 for mental spatial rotation; regarding video games for the training of emotional skills, effect sizes ranged from 0.201 to 3.01. Conclusion: Overall, findings give evidences of benefits of video games training on cognitive and emotional skills in relation to the healthy adult population, especially on young adults. Efficacy has been demonstrated not only for non-commercial video games or commercial brain-training programs, but for commercial video games as well.

Dataset Information

TRAINING WITH VIDEO GAMES: EFFECTS ON COGNITIVE AND NEURAL MEASURES OF ATTENTION AND MEMORY

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure