Brain-boosting computer games may be as effective as drugs in treating severe depression in some elderly people -- perhaps even better, according to trial results published on Tuesday. A group of 60-to-89-year-olds, for whom anti-depressants had not worked, perked up after four weeks of playing computer games that had been developed to improve brain fitness, scientists wrote in the journal Nature Communications. The programmes were developed to test a theory that the ageing brain can be regenerated through intense practice -- regaining lost learning and memory function and improving decision-making, which can in turn alleviate depression. A team of specialists from the United States and China put 11 people through a four-week computer training programme, and tested them for improvements in depression levels and in brain function.
via Gaming News Headlines - Yahoo! News http://ift.tt/1s8sqI8
No comments:
Post a Comment