Video Game Training Enhances Visuospatial Working Memory and Episodic Memory in Older Adults

Pilar Toril, José M Reales, Julia Mayas, Soledad Ballesteros, Pilar Toril, José M Reales, Julia Mayas, Soledad Ballesteros

Abstract

In this longitudinal intervention study with experimental and control groups, we investigated the effects of video game training on the visuospatial working memory (WM) and episodic memory of healthy older adults. Participants were 19 volunteer older adults, who received 15 1-h video game training sessions with a series of video games selected from a commercial package (Lumosity), and a control group of 20 healthy older adults. The results showed that the performance of the trainees improved significantly in all the practiced video games. Most importantly, we found significant enhancements after training in the trained group and no change in the control group in two computerized tasks designed to assess visuospatial WM, namely the Corsi blocks task and the Jigsaw puzzle task. The episodic memory and short-term memory of the trainees also improved. Gains in some WM and episodic memory tasks were maintained during a 3-month follow-up period. These results suggest that the aging brain still retains some degree of plasticity, and that video game training might be an effective intervention tool to improve WM and other cognitive functions in older adults.

Keywords: brain plasticity; cognitive aging; episodic memory; training; video games; visuospatial working memory.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(A) Average performance scores obtained in the six non-action video games across the 15 sessions in Z scores (mean 0; standard deviation 1). (B) Average response times of four video games across the training sessions in Z scores.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Top: Mean performance of trained and control groups at pre-test, post-test and follow-up assessments in Digits forward (left) and Digits backward (right). Bottom: Mean performance of trained and control groups at pre-test, post-test and follow-up assessments in the working memory (WM) tasks (left: Corsi blocks; right: Jigsaw puzzle tasks). Error bars represent ± SE. *p < 0.05.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Mean performance of trained and control groups at pre-test, post-test and follow-up in the episodic memory tasks. Top: Faces I (left) and Faces II (right). Bottom: Family Pictures I (left) and Family Pictures II (right). Error bars represent ± SE. *p < 0.05.

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