Stop misconceptions: video games are not reserved for children, and do not especially stupefy their audience! Researchers at the University of Kent (in Great Britain) are even planning to use some of the most popular mobile games – Candy Crush, Tetris and Fruit Ninja – to detect early the first signs of cognitive decline in seniors…
British researchers – who presented their work this Thursday, September 12, 2019 on the occasion of the scientific gathering UbiComp in London – worked with a group of 21 healthy adults: they first took “classic” cognitive tests (on paper) and then were given 10 minutes of smartphone gaming.
Playing to test your brain is possible!
Results ? The researchers were able to establish a “very clear” link between the participants’ cognitive performance and their ability to make the most of the games offered. Scientists believe that these games (chosen to be easy and quick to understand) test participants’ visual memory, visuo-spatial skills, attention and ‘flexibility’ of mind.
Phone games would therefore be interesting tools for early detection of cognitive decline in seniors, but also for monitoring the cognitive abilities of patients with Alzheimer’s disease or schizophrenia, or who have suffered a stroke. .
“Phone games are not faster or more efficient than ‘classic’ cognitive tests but could allow for better patient engagement and, using specific algorithms, could be modified to measure a specific parameter of cognition “conclude the specialists.
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