Save Your Brain, Play Video Games

Of all the ways to keep your brain healthy, who would ever think that playing video games is one of them? Besides a common cause of concern for parents, this hobby, according to a study by psychologists from the University of Montreal, those who played 3D platforming games such as Super Mario 64 turned out to have more gray matter in their hippocampus upon playing. The hippocampus is very important as it is primarily in charge with various memory functions (long-term, short-term, and spatial).

Gregory West, one of the researchers, claimed that games such as Super Mario 64 aid the hippocampus in creating a cognitive map of the virtual surroundings, also helping in reversing gray matter’s atrophy especially in the elderly.

For seniors and their loved ones, this study serves as a great start. Not only will they be able to find alternative activities to support memory enhancement. Likewise, home care services providers will also be able to find this information valuable.