Do brain games work?
65There are tons of software on net claiming better memory, attention simply better mental function through brain training games. Most of them are also paid. As people are willing to pay, it's a big market.
Brain games are said to be effective on brain neuroplasticity what is ability of brain to change and adapt. We know that early education is a factor to prevent alzheimers, moving from that point it's thought that brain stimulation through specially designed games may enhance cognition and prevent mental decline.
But do they really work? Should people invest their money on something else for brain improvement or they are doing fine? Fortunately there are studies sheding light on this. Let's have a look at them.
Most famous and largest study is the one done by BBC. In this study 11.430 people were followed for a six week period.
There were three groups, participants in first group regularly played brain training games that target short term memory, attention, mathematical abilities and visio-spatial skills. Participants in second group played games that are designed to train reasoning power, planning and problem solving skills.Third group just browsed the internet.
After 6 weeks results were statistically compared and it's concluded that there is no significant improvement at the groups that played brain games.
Regard to this famous study many claimed that brain games only improve the performance at the played game. There is no transformation to mental abilities from the game.
There are some smaller scale studies showing benefit of brain games though.
In a study done on elderly people, participants who played brain training games for two months improved their auditory information processing speed by %58 percent regard to %7 percent in control group. People who are in control group were listening just educational and art videos.
Auditory information processing speed is not related to losses at senses like hearing or vision by age but brain's ability to process the information from senses which also declines by age. What study assessed was if auditory information processing is effected by playing brain training games and the result was positive.
Study also revealed that playing brain games caused %4 increase at overall mental performance including memory. The improvement was %2 at control group. Also %48 of participants in the brain training group reported better functioning in daily life.
An other study made by a Swiss American team has concluded that a task called dual and back which targets working memory also imroves fluid intelligence. Fluid intelligence is ability to reason and to flexibly adapt to new situations.
At Dual and back task ''participants see a sequence of squares, appearing one after another on the computer screen every three seconds. The task is to decide whether the currently presented square was at the same position as one further in the sequence, so, for example whether it is the same as the one presented two or more positions earlier.'' At the same time they hear spoken letters and same process applies for the letters.
There were 4 groups on study doing exercise for 8, 12, 17, 19 days. After exercise period participants completed a test assessing fluid intelligence. Scores were significantly better for the exercise groups. Also it's noted that longer the exercise better were results.
There is controversy over scientific value of brain games. It's generally accepted that brain training games aren't backed by science. But there are studies showing some benefit. Two of them are covered here.
Playing brain training games doesn't take much time, usually 15, 20 mins is said to be enough.If you are willing to improve your brain power they are worth a try specially when you find a free source. Cognitive labs is such a free source. It offers free games and brain gym exercises.
Whether you decide to give brain games a chance or not don't forget to take simple steps for your mental health. Have a diet high in vegetables and fruits, do regular exercise and engage your brain. Those are basic steps to take. You can have a look at my other hubs for different views on brain improvement.
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Sources:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8630588.stm
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=brain-games-do-they-really
Rebecca E. 20 months ago
a great hub, and well done, I didn't know about some of teh studies that they had done.