Can training in a real-time strategy video game attenuate cognitive decline in older adults?

Basak and colleagues had older adults play a complex role-playing game for 23.5 hours and found that gameplay was linked to better performance across many cognitive tasks.

“For example, Basak et al.50 had elders play a complex role-playing game,”

A dose-dependent relationship between amount of training and transfer has been described and replicated in some but not all studies.

“Furthermore, we have previously described a dose-dependent relationship between training and transfer, such that more training leads to more gain (Jaeggi et al., 2008).”

Training in real-time strategy video games that entail learning and coordinating complex strategies can engender transfer to a variety of tasks tapping different aspects of executive-control processes.

“training in real-time strategy video games that entail learning and coordinating the implementation of a number of complex strategies can engender transfer to a variety of tasks that tap different aspects of executive-control processes”

Some recent evidence suggests that playing commercial video games can lead to cognitive engagement and improve perceptual and cognitive abilities, such as memory, reasoning ability, and multitasking performance.

“Some recent evidence suggests that playing commercial video games can lead to cognitive engagement and improve perceptual and cognitive abilities, such as memory, reasoning ability, and multi tasking performance (e.g., Basak, Boot, Voss, & Kramer, 2008 ;Green & Bavelier, 2008 ).”

Multi-domain training interventions yield broad but often small transfer effects.

“Multi-domain training interventions are usually more complex and engage multiple cognitive processes (e.g., game-based training), yielding broad but often small transfer effects (e.g., Basak et al., 2008).”

Video games without exercise improve executive and cognitive control, and selective attention in older adults.

“Video games without exercise have been shown to improve executive and cognitive control, and selective attention in older adults. (Anguera, Boccanfuso, Rintoul, Al-Hashimi, Faraji, Janowich, Kong, Larraburo, Rolle, Johnston, and Gazzaley 2013;Basak, Boot, Voss, and Kramer 2008;Belchior, Marsiske, Sisco, Yam, and Mann 2012)”