title: Video Game Training Enhances Visuospatial Working Memory and Episodic Memory in Older Adults.
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.
authors.affiliation: Studies of Aging and Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Group, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED)Madrid, Spain; Department of Basic Psychology II, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED)Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Pilar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Toril
authors.affiliation: Studies of Aging and Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Group, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED)Madrid, Spain; Department of Methodology of the Behavioral Sciences, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED)Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: José M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Reales
authors.affiliation: Studies of Aging and Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Group, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED)Madrid, Spain; Department of Basic Psychology II, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED)Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mayas
authors.affiliation: Studies of Aging and Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Group, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED)Madrid, Spain; Department of Basic Psychology II, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED)Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Soledad
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ballesteros
keywords: brain plasticity; cognitive aging; episodic memory; training; video games; visuospatial working memory