Science & technology | Brain training for older people

Put away the knitting

Video games improve cognitive ability in the elderly

Yay dude, let’s do Grand Theft Auto next

AGEING is a daunting process, not least because some of the first things to fail are also the most useful, such as memory, attention and motor skills. The idea that some form of regular mental activity—doing a crossword, for example—can postpone mental decline is not new. Now researchers have found another: playing a certain type of video game could help the elderly stay sharper for longer.

This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Put away the knitting”

Fight this war, not the last one

From the September 7th 2013 edition

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