(...) Algunos estudios revelan que los juegos de mesa pueden ser unos grandes aliados para mantener la salud cerebral y reducir el riesgo de demencia en adultos mayores. Como esta investigación elaborada por la Universidad de Edimburgo en la que los expertos evaluaron aspectos como la memoria, la resolución de problemas, la velocidad de pensamiento y la capacidad de razonamiento general de más de mil personas de 70 años. ¿Cuáles fueron los resultados? Los expertos pudieron concluir que aquellos que jugaban de forma regular a juegos de mesa obtuvieron mejores resultados en pruebas de memoria y razonamiento. (...)
Objectives: Playing analog games may be associated with better cognitive function but, to date, these studies have not had extensive longitudinal follow-up. Our goal was to examine the association between playing games and change in cognitive function from age 11 to age 70, and from age 70 to 79.
Method: Participants were 1,091 nonclinical, independent, community-dwelling individuals all born in 1936 and residing in Scotland. General cognitive function was assessed at ages 11 and 70, and hierarchical domains were assessed at ages 70, 73, 76, and 79 using a comprehensive cognitive battery of 14 tests. Games playing behaviors were assessed at ages 70 and 76. All models controlled for early life cognitive function, education, social class, sex, activity levels, and health issues. All analyses were preregistered.
Results: Higher frequency of playing games was associated with higher cognitive function at age 70, controlling for age 11 cognitive function, and the majority of this association could not be explained by control variables. Playing more games was also associated with less general cognitive decline from age 70 to age 79, and in particularly, less decline in memory ability. Increased games playing between 70 and 76 was associated with less decline in cognitive speed.
Discussion: Playing games were associated with less relative cognitive decline from age 11 to age 70, and less cognitive decline from age 70 to 79. Controlling for age 11 cognitive function and other confounders, these findings suggest that playing more games is linked to reduced lifetime decline in cognitive function.
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