Super Mario and senile dementia
Video games have increased the amount of gray matter in the brains of older people
Kristina Ulasovich, N+1
Video games can help improve cognitive abilities in older people, scientists report in the journal PLoS ONE (Playing Super Mario 64 increases hippocampal grey matter in older adults). An experiment in which people over the age of 55 played Super Mario 64 for six months showed that the amount of gray matter in their hippocampus increased. This area of the brain is involved in memory consolidation, that is, the transition of short-term memory into long-term memory.
For many years, scientists have been arguing about the impact of video games on humans. While some psychologists say that a passion for computer games can increase the propensity to commit suicide, others argue that in some cases video games help to cope with mental addictions. Two independent studies conducted in 2014 and 2017 showed that the amount of gray matter in the hippocampus of 20-year-olds correlated with the time they spent playing 3D logic games. In a new paper, Canadian scientists led by Greg West decided to find out how video games will affect the older generation.
37 people aged 55 to 75 years took part in the experiment of neurophysiologists. All volunteers were divided into three groups: the first played Super Mario 64 for 30 minutes a day 5 days a week, the second devoted the same amount of time to piano lessons, and the third, the control group did not perform any tasks. The study lasted six months and took place at the participants' homes.
The authors evaluated the results of the experiment in two ways: using cognitive tests and structural MRI scanning. This allowed them to see changes in several areas of the brain at once – in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, which controls planning, decision-making and volitional control; in the cerebellum, which plays an important role in controlling movement and balance; in the hippocampus, the center of spatial and episodic perception.
An MRI scan showed that only the group that played video games had an increased volume of gray matter in the hippocampus. In addition, they also increased the volume of gray matter in the cerebellum and improved short-term memory. Testing also showed changes in the piano playing group: they had an increased volume of gray matter in the cerebellum and in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Scientists did not notice similar changes in the control group.
According to neurophysiologists, three-dimensional video games involve the hippocampus in creating a cognitive map or mental representation of the virtual environment that the brain explores. Some studies show that stimulation of the hippocampus increases both the functional activity of this area of the brain and the amount of gray matter in it. On the contrary, if a person does not learn anything at an older age, gray matter atrophy may occur – this is indicated by the results of the control group.
It is worth saying that the research of scientists is rather the basis for future work. The total number of subjects turned out to be small, and the groups into which the participants were divided turned out to be unequal – the smallest was the one where people played video games. Future work will have to verify the results of the researchers.
Earlier, American scientists came to the conclusion that the time spent by elderly people at the computer can serve as a means of early diagnosis of dementia, in particular, Alzheimer's disease. It affects about six percent of people over the age of 65 and is the main cause of dementia (acquired dementia).
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