Our study of Alzheimer's Disease has taught us one surprising fact: Doctors do not understand the disease. They can only describe what symptoms it seems to have, who it might affect, and most shockingly what seems to fight its onset and progression. Due to limited understanding of Alzheimer's Disease, new cures are actively being researched. Among these cures is the interesting new finding that playing games may help prevent or fight Alzheimer's Disease!
Games have long provided entertainment to players but recently they have been applied for different purposes, including education, training, and physical and mental rehabilitation. Some bright people noticed that gamers (people that play games) that play certain kinds of games that exercise association and problem solving skills could think more accurately in real life. So began a recent flurry of research into how games can help prevent degradation of our gray matter! What follows is a compilation of some of the research work done on the subject that we found quite interesting. Enjoy!
Research on Gaming and Alzheimer's Disease
(Feel free to click on any of the below links, they will open in a new window)
- Computer-based 'Games' Enhance Mental Function In Patients With Alzheimer's
ScienceDaily ran this article in October of 2006. It contains a good introduction to findings from two Universities that performed research on whether games can fight Alzheimer's Disease. Unfortunately we were unable to locate the official news release from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, but ScienceDaily did a good job of adapting the release. Our favorite quote in the whole thing:"The interactive multimedia internet-based system, in combination with the standard pharmacological treatment of Alzheimer's disease, provides for better cognitive function in these patients, demonstrating that they are capable of benefiting from cognitive stimulation, even after the disease has advanced," said Mr. Lluís Tárraga, lead investigator of the study and developer of the IMIS tool.
- Computer “Games” Provide Mental Edge in People with Alzheimer’s
This article was published in November on AlzInfo.org, an news site dedicated to everything Alzheimer's. The findings in this article cover data gathered by the Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation. Again, the scientists found a strong link between playing games that stimulate mental activity and a positive against Alzheimer's Disease. The quote that can summarize the whole thing:Men and women with Alzheimer’s disease benefited from computer-based “games” designed to provide mental stimulation and enhance brain activity, researchers report.
We will post more research links in upcoming blogs. Stay notified about our blogs by joining our mango club where you can receive news and updates. Signing up is FREE and only takes a few minutes!
New Research on Alzheimer's
There is a lot of research on how games can help prevent Alzheimer's Disease, or how games can help fight Alzheimer's Disease. Our Alzheimer's study has lead us to believe that by making association games and brain games, we can provide relief to Alzheimer's Disease patients by providing cheap and fun treatment of the disease with our video games!
