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Jury out on 'brain training' games

12 February 2009

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The marketing for several of these commercial 'games' or devices make some unwarranted claims that prey on people's fears about getting older Dr Peter J. Snyder, Professor of Clinical Neurosciences, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University

Scientists in America have challenged claims made by the gaming industry about brain training computer games delaying, or even reversing, the brain ageing process.

The team of scientists carried out a review of the research for brain training programmes in healthy older people. They found no evidence to show that brain training had any impact on brain ageing or the onset of conditions like dementia.

Dr Peter J. Snyder, lead researcher, told the Bupa health information team: "The marketing for several of these commercial 'games' and devices make some unwarranted claims that prey on people's fears about getting older. Just as an example, one major manufacturer makes marketing claims that a 70-year-old person can use their device to take 15 or 20 years off their 'brain age'! This is frankly a bizarre claim to make."

Dr Snyder and his team are concerned that such claims may distract people from focusing on lifestyle changes, such as taking regular exercise and maintaining a healthy weight, that have already been shown to reduce the risk of dementing illnesses.

He explains: "If interventions, such as brain training programmes, are not well supported by data showing their effectiveness, then older persons who want to do something proactive to protect their cognitive health will be left frustrated by this lack of effectiveness and expense when they could be using interventions that may be truly beneficial."

Dr Snyder concludes: "I suspect that remaining cognitively active does indeed offer some protective benefit. However, the point of my paper is to show that there is no credible data to support the use of brain training over keeping socially active and remaining engaged with family and friends, learning new hobbies, doing Sudoku or crossword puzzles, or reading good books on a regular basis."

Despite recent media reports, the research doesn't suggest that brain training does more harm than good. Dr Annabel Bentley, Bupa's assistant medical director, explains: "The researchers aren't saying give up your crosswords or memory games, but they are saying there isn't enough evidence to prove that brain training slows brain ageing."

Dr Clive Bowman, medical director for Bupa Care Homes, has this advice: "Whether brain training can really affect underlying disease-related change or just uses available brain function will undoubtedly require extensive research and probably remain controversial. The simple message is keep active, be engaged and live a fulfilling life."

Key facts

  • As you age, the overall number of cells in your brain decrease, this means that:

    - aged 50 to 70 short-term memory becomes less efficient, your concentration
       levels decline and coordination gets poorer

    - by the age of 90, 10 percent of your brain tissue is lost

  • One in five people aged 80 and over get dementia in the UK. It affects intellect, memory and personality. The most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer's disease.