No evidence to support claims they work against memory loss or dementia, say neuroscientists
If you’ve bought one of the brain training games endorsed by Nicole Kidman and other celebrities, a new study suggests you may have wasted your money. The games provide no more mental exercise than simply surfing the net, doing a crossword puzzle, or playing a regular computer game, according to a panel of experts including eminent neuroscientists. According to some manufacturers, the games can help improve memory or starve off the risk of illnesses such as dementia or Alzheimer’s, but the study says there is no evidence to support these claims. The report was commissioned by Which?, a British product-testing magazine. “If people are under the illusion that these devices are scientifically proven to keep their minds in shape,” says Which? editor Martyn Hocking, “they need to think again.”