Posted on 12/06/2017 7:11:02 PM PST by sparklite2
If you're between 55 and 75 years old, you may want to try playing 3D platform games like Super Mario 64 to stave off mild cognitive impairment and perhaps even prevent Alzheimer's disease.
According to the MRI test results, only the participants in the video-game cohort saw increases in gray matter volume in the hippocampus and cerebellum. Their short-term memory also improved.
The tests also revealed gray matter increases in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and cerebellum of the participants who took piano lessons, whereas some degree of atrophy was noted in all three areas of the brain among those in the passive control group.
(Excerpt) Read more at sciencedaily.com ...
Video games can be so engaging, they can also be used therapeutically. For instance, they can be used as a form of physiotherapy as well as in more innovative contexts. A number of studies have shown that when children play video games following chemotherapy they need fewer painkillers than others.
Video games have great educational potential in addition to their entertainment value. Games specifically designed to address a specific problem or teach a specific skill have been very successful, precisely because they are motivating, engaging, interactive, and provide rewards and reinforcement to improve.
I play Mahjongg, Magic Puzzles, and a memory tile game daily for brain exercise. I limit each one.
Sorry sent this to your private email but have you tried for tonight it’s a blast.
At least that is what we called it.
Wonder if I could get that game for my mom.
Didn’t realize this thread was from last year! :-)
Mine has obviously gone on vacation.
BUT DO NOT FALL FOR THE BS THAT ANY OF THAT PREVENTS ALZHEIMERS. My parents were brilliant people involved in many activities, played games, wrote, did higher order accounting, etc. when they were each struck down with Alzheimer’s. Keeping your brain active does NOTHING to prevent Alzheimer’s.
I’m sandwiched between people with brain issues but the younger ones rock. My special needs kid kills me t checkers every time.
And my mom with Alzheimer’s spends time every day with printed out big sudoku puzzles. She still knows the gist of what you do, and for 30-45 mins she can sit with her pencil and a sudoku and work it, but she doesn’t get it right and she can’t finish, she only has fun st the early easy stages, so I remove the ones she’s worked on when they get hard, and put new ones down. And she is happy.
I’m afraid your right about Alzheimer’s its an awful disease, my FIL had it, it was crushing. I do play CIV VI its a lot of fun. Hope I dont get it, but worried for my wife her short term memory has become a problem.
A couple of changes I recommend based on my personal opinion that lifetime exposure to neurotoxins is what might make brains more susceptible than others to Alzheimer’s / other neurodegenerative diseases:
Fact: toxins get into your skin and bloodstream as easily as if you ate them. Don’t wear toxins on your skin, like commercial lotions, etc. Use edible oils to moisturize (coconut oils, Shea butters, etc). Use clean laundry soap and no softeners or dryer sheets or dry cleaning or ironing “starches.” Watch scents on all products.
Eat organic produce (especially your berries you love) and eat meat and animal products from the healthiest animals you can afford. This doesn’t mean your food will be perfectly clean; it means it will be cleaner than cheap food sourced poorly and grown in bad soil with extra pesticides.
Best version of the CIV family in my opinion. The modding community really outdid themselves in every possible area. Some mods were over 250 MB in volume.
I haven't played in awhile, it definitely keeps the brain in shape.
Anything you find fun should be done. I don’t play video games but all my kids do and my eldest works in the industry. But no, I get so angry when trifles say that an active brain won’t get it. My parents were retired and my dad took 4-5 different consulting jobs and expert witness jobs and stayed very busy. My mom was on boards and had meetings and read 2 huge historical books a week, and they played cards, traveled the world, etc. It was the Alzheimer’s taking away first their short term memories that caused them to stop being able to keep active, not the other way around.
And I understand your fears for your wife. Prayers up.
The white truck guy hated Frogger!
> I haven’t played in awhile
Indeed...married with kids means you have to plan in advance and set aside a block of time to play.
I generally have time to play as 1 of 4 nations at the Prince Level, standard game speed. I’m sure everyone develops their own strategies, but I always go for military victory, and rely heavily on iron as a resource and frigates to do the heavy lifting, when the enemy is coastal. When I have to attack inland, I surround the enemy cities and rely on fast-moving pieces to pillage my way up to the enemy capital, keeping the siege generally out of range of the city’s bombard, until I have amassed enough forces to assault blitzkrieg style.
I am also fanatical about building roads to connect things.
I have a couple of recommendations for the more mature of us.
First, if you have an iPad and play or watch golf, WGT golf app is addictive. If you have $50 to invest you can bypass the newbie section and get the good equipment right away. If not, it’s still a hoot.
Second, if you are a PC geek, Silent Hunter 4: Wolves of the Pacific is an older WWII submarine game that can be had for cheap money and gives you the opportunity to destroy the Japanese navy.
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