Videogame Improves Cognitive Ability, New Study Says

In a groundbreaking new study at the University of California, San Francisco, scientists found that older adults improved cognitive controls such as multitasking and the ability to sustain attention by playing a specially designed videogame—and that the effects can be long lasting.

The study is part of a broader effort to understand whether specially designed videogames can help treat neurological disorders, such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and even depression. The new study "is a powerful example of how plastic the older brain is," said Adam Gazzaley, a director of the UCSF Neuroscience Imaging Center and a co-author of the study. Gazzaley is also the co-founder and adviser of Akili Interactive Labs, a startup focused on designing these types of videogames. This research turns the traditional view of games on its head.