Brain Aging: What’s Nintendo Got To Do With It?

Who says video games are a waste of time?

Researchers from Tohoku University in Japan show that elderly men and women playing the game Brain Age, made by Nintendo, can improve some of their declining cognitive abilities.

For the new study, 32 elderly Japanese participants were tested for cognitive function and then randomly assigned to play either Brain Age, which is touted by its makers as a “brain training game,” or the classic arcade game Tetris, in which players arrange an onslaught of differently shaped blocks to form a solid line,  for about 15 minutes per day, at least five days per week for four weeks. At the end of the four-week study period, the participants were then tested again for cognitive function.

Read More