Playing chess or other board games slows cognitive decline and improves quality of life in older patients, results of a new systematic review suggest.
"For patients who are elderly and suffer from social isolation and mild cognitive issues, I would definitely recommend board games," study investigator Frederico Emanuele Pozzi, MD, a neurology resident at Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori in Monza, Italy, toldAfter searching the published literature, Pozzi and his colleagues selected 15 studies for the review.
He noted that the methodology of the studies was generally"not bad" although in some cases the analyses were per protocol and in others intention-to-treat. Outcomes varied across studies, there were a lot of dropouts, and some were not randomized, meaning reverse causality can’t be ruled out. Playing a board game involves concentration, strategy, and intermittent rewards — all of which are good for the brain and may involve the prefrontal cortex, he noted. Board games are also typically timed, which involves brain speed processing, and they have a winner and loser so emotions can run high, which also impacts the brain, Hachinski added."It’s encouraging that people can improve what they’re doing, and the longer they’re at it, the more of the brain they use," he said.
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