The study, which was conducted by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, focused on training healthy older participants on a computer game aimed at boosting visual perception.
The training resulted in a 10 percent increase of visual memory. The results refute a widely held stereotype that older individuals' brains cannot be trained to do new things.
"This confirms our understanding that the brains of older adults, like those of young people, are 'plastic' - the brain can change in response to focused training," author of the research paper Adam Gazzaley told the news source.
The findings can be a big step forward in memory care, as the elderly population is especially at risk for developing memory problems and mental illnesses, like Alzheimer's disease. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, the disease currently affects around 5.3 million Americans, with 50 percent of those 85 or older suffering from the affliction.
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