Scientists Create A Powerful Brain-Training Instrument To Combat Elderly Weakness

In order to detect and recover from physical and mental frailty, which is a predictor of dementia, a group of Japanese researchers has created a brain-training system.

It was discovered that older adults who experimented with the finger pressure device had better attention and memory skills.

Researchers from organizations like Aichi Sangyo University and Nagoya Institute of Technology (NITech) are working on additional demonstrative studies in the hopes that their creation will help prevent dementia.

Frailty is a state of deteriorating health brought on by a number of factors and can be divided into three categories: physical, psychological, and social.

There is currently no proven medical way to halt the progression of dementia once it has begun. Nonetheless, it is thought that there are good odds of recovering from a frailty stage.

The research team, led by Yoshifumi Morita, an electrical and mechanical engineering professor at NITech, concentrated on the intimate connection between the brain and the tips of the fingers, which some refer to as the “second brain.”

They believed that developing dexterity in finger movements could help people recover from frailty by stimulating the brain.

Since 2009, Morita and his colleagues have been researching tools that can aid in stroke rehabilitation and autism recovery.

Using their expertise, they have created a new cylindrical device that is as soft as a sponge cake.

Players of an app game are supposed to hold the device and use their fingers to manipulate a character on the screen so that it will eat stars. The purpose of the game is to develop hand dexterity, which is directly related to brain function.

During a 30-day trial, 14 healthy and elderly residents of Tokai, Aichi Prefecture, were asked to use the system for ten to fifteen minutes each day.

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According to the researchers, all subjects demonstrated improvements in their attention and memory abilities, which had deteriorated with age.

The researchers added that they are enlisting the assistance of a medical center that supports children with developmental issues and a hospital that specializes in rehabilitation.