My, What a Toned Brain You Have
My, What a Toned Brain You Have | Human Resource Executive Online
Studies show that brain-teasing computer games may ward off Alzheimer's disease and dementia, and increase cognitive brain function. Could they eventually become a mainstay of corporate wellness programs?
By Jared Shelly
For executives with their eyes on the bottom line, the thought of employees playing online video games at their desks may sound like a complete waste of time.
But studies have shown that certain games can actually improve brain power and even delay the onset of Alzheimer's and dementia. Some argue that cognitive brain exercises may be so helpful that employers should include them as part of their corporate-wellness programs.
A recent study of 1,300 people by the Mayo Clinic found that playing computer games, reading books or doing crafts during later years led to a 30 percent to 50 percent decrease in memory loss, compared to those who did not participate in such activities.
"Aging does not need to be a passive process. By simply engaging in cognitive exercise, you can protect against future memory loss," says study author Dr. Yonas Geda, a neuropsychiatrist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
Much like exercising at a gym to improve physical fitness, cognitive exercises can help improve brain fitness, says Laura Fay, CEO of HAPPYneuron, a Mountain View, Calif.-based company offering a host of cognitive brain games on its Web site.
And what employer wouldn't want workers to improve brain function, while lessening their chances of developing Alzheimer's or dementia?
HAPPYneuron doesn't produce games for consoles such as Playstation, Xbox or Nintendo Wii, and the games don't have cutting-edge graphics or intricate game play. But what HAPPYneuron games do offer are brain-teasing puzzles developed by a neurologist, an education expert and a computer scientist that are specifically designed to stimulate the five main cognitive areas of the brain: attention, language, visual spatial skills, executive functions and memory.
"Think about it as an insurance policy against brain decline," says Fay.
Before playing the Web-based games, users enter their gender, education level and age. After the game, they receive statistics on how their play compares to their peer group, along with comments about ways they can improve.
One game, "Follow the Ladybug," gives a player two seconds to click on a ladybug wherever it appears on the screen. When a correct click is made, the ladybug reappears -- just a bit smaller -- and at a different location, and the user gets a little less time to click on it again.
The game ends when the player can't click on the ladybug in the allotted time. "Follow the Ladybug" is designed to improve the part of the brain that controls attention. (The photo on this page is a screen shot from another online
HAPPYneuron
cognitive game.)
But are businesses really including cognitive exercises into their corporate-wellness offerings?
Not yet, says Cyndy Nayer, president and CEO of the Center for Health Value Innovation in St. Louis. And with the economy is such bad shape, employers are not only busy with pressing cost issues, they are simply trying keep their wellness programs intact, not add anything new.
"They're not onboarding new programs right this minute," says Nayer. "That's all about shareholder value and there's no getting around that right now."
Currently, about 20 companies in Europe offer the HAPPYneuron system as part of their wellness initiatives, says Fay.
In the United States, Louisville, Ky.-based health-insurance company Humana, offers online cognitive games from HAPPYneuron as part of its corporate-wellness offerings as well as providing the service to its own employees.
"We believe brain health contributes to overall health, which leads to lower healthcare costs for everyone," says Elona DeGooyer a consultant with Humana's Associate Benefit Programs.
Fiona Gathright, president of Wellness Corporate Solutions in Cabin John, Md., agrees that cognitive brain exercises are far from commonplace in wellness programs; however, she believes there is a place for them.
"The conversation has started," says Gathright, "Our clients ... are looking for something new, something different, some other way to engage their employees and this is another way to engage them."
Businesses that should be first to offer such brain games are those responsible for paying retiree-health benefits, she says.
With older generations remaining in the workforce and with people now developing Alzheimer's at younger ages, such cognitive exercises might be helpful for all companies, says Gathright.
"One would assume -- this is a big assumption -- that those with Alzheimer's would be in the retiree population, but we're finding that more and more of them are not," she says. "More and more [cases] are [being found in] the 45-plus worker."
March 17, 2009 Copyright 2009© LRP Publications
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