Can playing video games that mix movement and memory tasks actually protect the brain from dementia?
According to new research from ETH Zurich and Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences OST, the answer may be yes.
Two recent studies suggest that “exergames”—a type of fitness game that combines physical exercise with mental challenges—not only improve memory and thinking skills in older adults showing early signs of dementia, but also lead to measurable changes in the brain itself.
Dementia is one of the most pressing health challenges of our time. In Europe, nearly one in ten people over 70 lives with the condition, and cases are expected to triple by 2050 as life expectancy rises.
Over time, dementia robs people of their memory, independence, and even their sense of self.
While new drugs to slow down Alzheimer’s disease are starting to appear, they are not yet widely available, and they benefit only a limited group of patients. That makes safe, accessible alternatives—like exergames—especially important.
Exergames have been gaining attention in recent years as a way to combine movement and brain training. Unlike medications, they come with no major side effects and can even improve physical health and quality of life.
A 2021 study by ETH researchers already showed that such games helped people with severe dementia. Now, two new studies suggest they can also benefit people with mild cognitive impairment, an early stage of dementia.
In the studies, about 40 participants with an average age of 73 trained at home for 25 minutes a day, five times a week, over a 12-week period. The setup included a screen with the game software and a special floor panel that tracked their steps. Players were asked to solve tasks by moving their feet in specific directions. For example, they might memorize a shopping list and then step left or right depending on whether an item on the screen matched the list.
These exercises targeted abilities such as memory, attention, and visual-spatial skills, which are often the first to decline in dementia. After each training session, participants also practiced slow, controlled breathing to stimulate the vagus nerve, a pathway that influences brain activity linked to cognition.
The first study, published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia, showed that participants improved their memory and thinking skills significantly.
These improvements weren’t just numbers on a test—they were noticeable in everyday life, such as remembering items while shopping, following conversations more easily, or handling stressful situations. By contrast, people in the control group who continued with their usual therapies showed worsening symptoms, reflecting the typical course of dementia.
In the second study, published in Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy, the researchers looked at brain scans.
They found that participants who played the games showed increases in the size of the hippocampus and thalamus—key brain regions involved in memory and attention.
There were also changes in the anterior cingulate cortex and slight improvements in the prefrontal cortex. In people who did not train, these same regions shrank, which is common in dementia.
“These findings are striking,” said Professor Eling D. de Bruin, a co-author of the studies. “We saw real structural changes in the brain after just 12 weeks, proof that the brain remains adaptable even in older age.”
The researchers stress that longer studies are needed to confirm whether exergames can slow or even prevent dementia in the long term.
Still, the results are encouraging. For people in the early stages of memory decline and for their families, game-based training could become an accessible tool to improve quality of life and preserve independence.
As de Bruin put it, “Our results give us confidence for the future.”
If you care about brain health, please read studies about inflammation that may actually slow down cognitive decline in older people, and low vitamin D may speed up cognitive decline.
For more health information, please see recent studies about common exercises that could protect against cognitive decline, and results showing this MIND diet may protect your cognitive function, prevent dementia.
