Video games can be used as medicine for your brain, UCSF researcher says - KCRA Sacramento

1 year ago 53

USING VIDEO GAMES AS MEDICINE. THAT IS THE LATEST RESEARCH COMING OUT OF UC SAN FRANCISCO. THEY HAVE DEVELOPED A SERIES OF GAMES THAT IMPROVE YOUR COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING. JOIN US TO TALK ABOUT THE RESEARCHES THE DIRECTOR OF THE NEUROSCIENCE DIVISION. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME THIS MORNING. HOW DID THE IDEA FOR THE PROJECT COME ABOUT? >> WE BEEN DOING A LOT OF AGING RESEARCH. WE ARE INTERESTED IN UNDERSTANDING THE NARROW NETWORKS. WHY DO OLDER ADULTS COMPLAIN ABOUT MEMORY DECLINE IT? THE RESEARCH LED TO A SERIES OF FINDINGS THAT MEMORY DECLINE ISN’T NECESSARILY JUST MEMORY, IT’S ALSO INTENTIONAL IN NATURE. WE GOT INTERESTED IN THE IDEA THAT PERHAPS WE COULD IMPROVE THESE DECLINES AND HELP PEOPLE LIVE A MORE HEALTHY LIFESTYLE. WE LOOKED INTO VIDEO GAMES AS A MEANS TO EXERCISE THE BRAIN. WE HAVE SEEN NOW IN MANY DIFFERENT INSTANCES THAT YOU CAN IMPROVE DIFFERENT FORMS OF MEMORY SUCH AS SHORT-TERM MEMORY AS WELL AS ATTENTION, WHICH IS IMPORTANT FOR MEMORY. WE DEVELOPED A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT GAMES THAT WE BELIEVE ARE IMPORTANT FOR IMPROVING THE BRAIN. YOU WANT TO CHALLENGE YOUR BRAIN. YOU DON’T WANT TO BE BORED. MIKE: HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT COLLECTING THE DATA TO PROCESS THE DEVELOPMENT? >> WE ASKED OLDER ADULTS AND WE ASKED IF THEY WOULD WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN OUR RESEARCH. WE GAVE THEM A TABLET. SOMETIMES THEY COME INTO OUR LAB. ONE OF OUR INTERVENTIONS IS VIRTUAL REALITY. WE TEST THEM IN OUR LABS. WE SCANNED THEIR BRAINS USING THINGS SUCH AS MAGNETICS IMAGING. WE LOOK AT HOW THE BRAIN CHANGES. WE ALSO LOOK AT WHAT OTHER MEASURES OF COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING CHANGE. MIKE: WAS THERE ANYTHING THAT SURPRISED YOU? >> THE LATEST FINDING THAT WE JUST RECENTLY PUBLISHED WAS THAT MUSICAL TRAINING WAS ABLE TO IMPROVE MEMORY FOR FACES. THAT’S COMMON IN EVERYDAY LIFE. SOMETIMES YOU FORGET THEIR FACE AFTER MEETING A GROUP OF PEOPLE. MUSICAL TRAINING, IT EXERCISES DIFFERENT FORM OF MEMORY. WE WERE HAVING THEM REMEMBER RHYTHMS. THAT ENGAGED A PART OF THE BRAIN THAT IS ENGAGED FOR DIFFERENT FORMS OF MEMORY. MUSICAL TRAINING WAS ABLE TO IMPROVE FACE MEMORY, WHICH WAS VERY SURPRISING AND EXCITING. MIKE: IT’S AMAZING HOW THOSE BRAIN -- THE BRAIN

Video games tin beryllium utilized arsenic medicine for your brain, UCSF researcher says

All of those hours you oregon your kids walk connected video games could beryllium beneficial to your health.New probe from UC San Francisco suggests that this signifier of physics amusement could supply medicinal benefits, namely video games tin workout your brain."We person seen now, successful galore instances that you tin amended antithetic forms of representation specified arsenic short-term memory, semipermanent memory, arsenic good arsenic attention," said Ted Zanto, the manager of the neuroscience part astatine UCSF.For much connected helium study, ticker the afloat interrogation with Zanto successful the video above.

All of those hours you oregon your kids walk connected video games could beryllium beneficial to your health.

New probe from UC San Francisco suggests that this signifier of physics amusement could supply medicinal benefits, namely video games tin workout your brain.

"We person seen now, successful galore instances that you tin amended antithetic forms of representation specified arsenic short-term memory, semipermanent memory, arsenic good arsenic attention," said Ted Zanto, the manager of the neuroscience part astatine UCSF.

For much connected helium study, ticker the afloat interrogation with Zanto successful the video above.

Read Entire Article