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Deal me in — playing games can protect cognitive skills in old age

People who play non-digital games – such as cards, crosswords and board games – are more likely to stay mentally sharp in later life, a longitudinal University of Edinburgh study found. The participants were part of the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 study, among the longest follow-ups in the world.

Those who regularly played non-digital games scored better on memory and thinking tests in their 70s, the research found. The study also found that a behaviour change in later life could still make a difference. People who increased game playing during their 70s were more likely to maintain certain thinking skills as they grew older.

Psychologists at the University of Edinburgh tested more than 1,000 people aged 70 for memory, problem solving, thinking speed and general thinking ability. The participants then repeated the same thinking tests every three years until aged 79. The group were also asked how often they played games like cards, chess, bingo or crosswords – at ages 70 and 76.

Researchers used statistical models to analyse the relationship between a person's level of game playing and their thinking skills. The team took into account the results of an intelligence test that the participants sat when they were 11 years old. They also considered lifestyle factors, such as education, socio-economic status and activity levels.

People who increased game playing in later years were found to have experienced less decline in thinking skills in their seventies – particularly in memory function and thinking speed. Researchers say the findings help to better understand what kinds of lifestyles and behaviours might be associated with better outcomes for cognitive health in later life. The study may also help people make decisions about how best to protect their thinking skills as they age.

Dr Drew Altschul, of the University of Edinburgh's School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, said: "These latest findings add to evidence that being more engaged in activities during the life course might be associated with better thinking skills in later life. For those in their 70s or beyond, another message seems to be that playing non-digital games may be a positive behaviour in terms of reducing cognitive decline."

Professor Ian Deary, director of the University of Edinburgh's Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology (CCACE), said: "We and others are narrowing down the sorts of activities that might help to keep people sharp in older age. In our Lothian sample, it's not just general intellectual and social activity, it seems; it is something in this group of games that has this small but detectable association with better cognitive ageing. It'd be good to find out if some of these games are more potent than others. We also point out that several other things are related to better cognitive ageing, such as being physically fit and not smoking."

Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said: "Even though some people's thinking skills can decline as we get older, this research is further evidence that it doesn't have to be inevitable. The connection between playing board games and other non-digital games later in life and sharper thinking and memory skills adds to what we know about steps we can take to protect our cognitive health, including not drinking excess alcohol, being active and eating a healthy diet."

The participants were part of the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 study, a group of individuals who were born in 1936 and took part in the Scottish Mental Survey of 1947. Since 1999, researchers have been working with the Lothian Birth Cohorts to chart how a person's thinking power changes over their lifetime. The follow-up times in the Cohorts are among the longest in the world.

Abstract
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 1091 non-clinical, 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 behaviours 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 pre-registered.
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 was 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.

Authors
Drew M Altschul, Ian J Deary

[link url="https://www.ed.ac.uk/news/2019/games-can-protect-thinking-skills-in-older-age"]University of Edinburgh material[/link]

[link url="https://academic.oup.com/psychsocgerontology/advance-article/doi/10.1093/geronb/gbz149/5628188"]The Journals of Gerontology abstract[/link]

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