Crosswords VS video games: Which ones help older people’s memory more?

Solving crossword puzzles has an advantage over playing video games on a computer or mobile phone in protecting the memory of older adults with mild cognitive impairment or impairment, a condition that can – but does not necessarily – develop into dementia and Alzheimer’s, shows a new small american science study.

The researchers from Columbia University in New York and Duke University in B.Carolina, led by professor of psychiatry D. Devanand of the former, who made the relevant publication in the American medical journal “NEJM Evicence”, carried out a randomized and controlled clinical study of 107 people with mild cognitive impairment with a mean age of 71 years.

“This is the first study to confirm both the short-term and longer-term benefits of crossword puzzles compared to another intervention. The findings are important given the difficulty of making improvements through interventions in cases of mild cognitive impairment,” said Dr. Devanand.

The experiment

The participants were divided into two groups: one completed crossword puzzles and the other played video games regularly for 12 weeks and more occasionally for another 78 weeks.

Post-experiment tests showed that the crossword group had better cognitive and memory performance, both after 12 and after 78 weeks.

In addition, their brain MRI showed less shrinkage on average in those who solved crossword puzzles. More generally, members of the crossword group functioned better in their daily activities.

However, the researchers stressed the need to confirm these results through a larger study, including a control group that will not do any cognitive training.

RES-EMP

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