| Title |
Plasticity of Attentional Functions in Older Adults after Non-Action Video Game Training: A Randomized Controlled Trial
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
PLOS ONE, March 2014
|
| DOI | 10.1371/journal.pone.0092269 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Julia Mayas, Fabrice B. R. Parmentier, Pilar Andrés, Soledad Ballesteros |
| Abstract |
A major goal of recent research in aging has been to examine cognitive plasticity in older adults and its capacity to counteract cognitive decline. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether older adults could benefit from brain training with video games in a cross-modal oddball task designed to assess distraction and alertness. Twenty-seven healthy older adults participated in the study (15 in the experimental group, 12 in the control group. The experimental group received 20 1-hr video game training sessions using a commercially available brain-training package (Lumosity) involving problem solving, mental calculation, working memory and attention tasks. The control group did not practice this package and, instead, attended meetings with the other members of the study several times along the course of the study. Both groups were evaluated before and after the intervention using a cross-modal oddball task measuring alertness and distraction. The results showed a significant reduction of distraction and an increase of alertness in the experimental group and no variation in the control group. These results suggest neurocognitive plasticity in the old human brain as training enhanced cognitive performance on attentional functions. |
X Demographics
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Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Spain | 2 | 18% |
| Grenada | 1 | 9% |
| Brazil | 1 | 9% |
| Russia | 1 | 9% |
| Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of | 1 | 9% |
| Chile | 1 | 9% |
| Unknown | 4 | 36% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Members of the public | 9 | 82% |
| Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 1 | 9% |
| Scientists | 1 | 9% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 300 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 6 | 2% |
| Spain | 3 | 1% |
| Mexico | 2 | <1% |
| United Kingdom | 2 | <1% |
| Chile | 1 | <1% |
| Italy | 1 | <1% |
| Sweden | 1 | <1% |
| Netherlands | 1 | <1% |
| Unknown | 283 | 94% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Master | 48 | 16% |
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 47 | 16% |
| Student > Bachelor | 45 | 15% |
| Researcher | 40 | 13% |
| Student > Doctoral Student | 17 | 6% |
| Other | 46 | 15% |
| Unknown | 57 | 19% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Psychology | 100 | 33% |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 35 | 12% |
| Neuroscience | 22 | 7% |
| Computer Science | 15 | 5% |
| Nursing and Health Professions | 14 | 5% |
| Other | 44 | 15% |
| Unknown | 70 | 23% |