Nature Newsblog
« Trauma may make the brain grow old | Main | Nicotine 'sobers up' drunk rats »
Researchers to check whether FreeCell can detect early signs of Alzheimer's.
If you're one of the many people who while away hours playing FreeCell, that heinously addictive and complicated version of Solitaire, you may be interested to hear that some researchers think your performance in this computerized card game might reveal early signs of dementia.
Read the story here.
Posted by Nicola Jones on July 24, 2006 05:37 PM | Permalink
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://blogs.nature.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/911
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Computer games could save your brain:
» Computer And Video Games from Computer And Video Games
California State University, Dominguez Hills & Byte Back, LLC Rosen, Ph.D. An Empirical Study: Larry D. Fortunately, the best selli... [Read More]
Tracked on August 4, 2006 03:00 AM
Subscribe to this blog's feeds:
Comments
I think most of the computer games can be a measure of mental fitness other than free cell. I found, for example, playing sudoku at different times of the day can show different mental abilities. In the mornings when I play sudoku depending on the time taken to finish the game I can tell if I had a good sleep or not. In the nights I play to fall asleep quickly if I feel tired but sometimes I may have to play several games to get drowsy. Further being a diabetic I can actually tell by playing either sudoku or wandering widgets (netscape) whether my sugar levels are very high or high or low.
So when this sort of tests are being done several factors like sleep, stress and time of the day have to be taken care of. Probably average for several weeks can tell not only mental but physical health too.
Leelavati sadhu
Posted by: Leelavathi S | July 25, 2006 05:38 AM
I play freecell and Spider solitaire several times a day. I am 75. It helps me relax. I know this because I wear a heart monitor while doing it. My heart rate is 60-65.
I also go to the gym three times a week, and listen to music while excercising. I think my memory has improved as I no longer put things where I can't find them. And have taken up playing guitar again after forty years of dropping it.
The gym is the outcome of having had two ministrokes. None since doing excercise. I am also near vegetarian, having ocassional meals of chicken.
I was an avid games player when I got my first computer in the 1980's.
Incidentally, you can improve children's abilities to learn and remember by getting them to copy drawings hundreds of time. I used to teach animation to Special Needs children, and have had several awards for this work, though psychologists ignore my results. (check my site at makemovies.co.uk)
Stan Hayward
Posted by: Stan Hayward | July 25, 2006 07:58 AM
I am not going to email this story to my spouse. She needs no further incentive to play freecell, spider solitaire or any other online game for that matter. Its good to know she will not be suffer from impairment sense I am well on my way.
Posted by: Dr.David Deal | July 25, 2006 11:01 PM
Very good reading. Peace until next time.
WaltDe
Posted by: WaltDe | August 31, 2006 03:46 PM
I have once played a computer game and I really felt like doing it but as time passes on it seems that this whole thing is a mistake. As an asthmatic person I usually succomb into this doing but it seems that as the more the time I spend in it, I became more addicted.
Posted by: Andrei Ventanilla | November 6, 2006 08:40 AM