Computer game 'makes brains three years younger'
There has been much in the press in recent years about the benefits of challenging your mind with puzzles, and according to the makers of a new computer game, brain training really does work.
Pic: Getty
Scientists have suggested that Road Tour, which has been designed and developed by experts, could make your brain three years younger - with the effects lasting for at least a year.
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The aim of the game is to train the brain to remember information while filtering out distractions. Players need only to remember two things - whether a vehicle shown on screen is a truck or a car, and the position of a road sign. Sounds simple enough, but as the game progresses, the car and truck shapes become more similar, the amount of superfluous information increases and becomes more distracting, and the time allowed to complete the test decreases.
This simple task is designed to hone your ability to process information quickly, and improve memory, peripheral vision and attention.
In tests, the minds of almost 700 men and women over the age of 50 who played Road Tour for ten hours showed no decline a year later - in fact, they had become sharper, with the average brain three years younger.
Fred Wolinsky, a professor of health management who carried out the tests, called the results "remarkable", and suggested the game, which is also called Double Decision, is "far more effective" than a crossword puzzle.
According to the Daily Mail, Prof Wolinsky said: "We know that this can stop the decline and actually restore cognitive processing speed to some people. So, if we know that, shouldn't we be helping people?
"It's fairly easy and older folks can go get the game and play it."
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Road Tour is available as part of an online brain training package, which charges around £8 a month for a one-month subscription.
However, Dr Doug Brown, director of research at the Alzheimer's Society, claimed there is "little evidence" that brain training really does deliver "cognotive benefits", and advised a balanced diet and regular exercise to reduce the risk of developing dementia.
Are you a fan of brain training games? Do you believe they keep you sharper? Leave your comments below...
