An article in Reader’s Digest summarizes some of the beneficial effects video games can have on your health.  Unfortunately, it’s titled, “8 Reasons Video Games Might Just Be Better for You Than Books,” and many of the studies don’t actually compare playing video games to reading books.  I’ll chalk that up to Reader’s Digest trying to create a click-bait title and excusing itself by using the “might just” phrasing.  (The click bait worked for me; I did click on it, after all.)

While I don’t have access to all of the studies cited and can’t comment on their validity, many of their findings make sense.  Often for the same reasons reading fiction can be good for your mental health.

In case you need a reason to justify taking a break and playing a video game, check out the Reader’s Digest article below.

Just keep in mind a few things:

• For optimal health benefits, use common sense and moderation.  Spending too much time playing games can cause problems for some people, including eye strain, tendinitis, and consequences resulting from shirking certain responsibilities.
• Some benefits in the article call for specific types of games, such as ones that are “visual-heavy” like Tetris.
• Your mileage may vary.  If you find a game frustrates you rather than makes you happy, try other games.

Here’s the article!  Enjoy!

https://www.rd.com/health/wellness/health-benefits-of-video-games/

And in case you’re wondering whether reading fiction is good for you, here’s my blog about an article discussing the health benefits of reading.

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2018/01/the-startling-link-between-sugar-and-alzheimers/551528/

If you are serious about changing your diet, consider these helpful tips:

1. Instead of trying to cut something completely out of your diet, replace undesired components with desired ones.  For example, instead of avoiding pasta, try eating “pasta” sliced from fresh vegetables, like curls of squash.

2. Experiment with “paleo” recipes to substitute good fats for carbs.

3. Make small changes that you can continue for the long term.  Attempts to make radical changes to your diet are more likely to only last a short time.

Happy new year!  I hope the changes you make help you feel your personal best!

https://www.alz.org/aaic/releases_2017/AAIC17-Mon-briefing-risk-factor.asp

Many physicians use the Mini Mental Status Exam (MMSE) or similar brief screening measures when a patient or patient’s family members bring up memory concerns.  However, physicians may consider referring a patient to neuropsychological testing for many reasons, including the following:

• The MMSE test is not very sensitive, missing between 23 and 55 percent of Mild Cognitive Impairment, which can be an early indicator of Alzheimer’s disease or other neurodegenerative disorders
• Neuropsychological testing can catch indicators of neurodegenerative decline well before a patient or family member might notice.
• Neuropsychological testing can give a more detailed picture of a patient’s difficulties.  For example, are reported memory problems the result of trouble with encoding, consolidation, or retrieval, or a combination of all of these?  Are reported memory problems partially due to other deficits like problems with attention or processing speed?
• A patient or family may dismiss memory issues as normal aging, even if they’re not
• A patient may want reassurance that memory issues are just normal aging
• A physician or patient may desire an objective testing baseline to compare against future possible decline
• A patient may need more concrete proof of decline in order to encourage compliance with prescribed therapies
• A physician or patient may want more thorough objective measures to determine whether certain therapies are helping

For more information, please see my more detailed blog and referenced literature at http://craigsiders.com/index.php/2014/08/neuropsychology-and-early-diagnosis-of-alzheimers-disease-and-other-neurodegenerative-disorders/

If you have any questions about referring a patient for neuropsychological testing, please feel free to contact us.

Unfortunately, many who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease are not diagnosed until they have experienced significant decline in cognitive ability and loss of daily functioning. 

This may occur because Alzheimer’s disease can make someone unaware of their own cognitive deficits. Often, someone suffering from Alzheimer’s disease will not report difficulties with memory and other symptoms.  Even when symptoms are known, many people will hide their difficulties from family members or clinicians out of fear that they will lose their independence.  It is important to note that early treatment is generally the most effective way to prolong a patient’s independence, so early diagnosis, as frightening as it may seem, is a patient’s best chance for leading as full a life as possible.

Even when symptoms are reported to a clinician, many clinicians will base their diagnostic decisions on screening tests that are not sensitive to subtle cognitive declines indicative of a neurodegenerative disorder in the early stages.  For example, the Mini Mental Status Exam (MMSE) still remains the most commonly used test to screen for cognitive deficits. However, in several studies involving participants with mild cognitive impairment (MCI, a term describing less intense level of cognitive impairment which is thought to signify a neurodegenerative disorder at the early stages), the MMSE displayed questionable sensitivity. Specifically, among these studies, the percent of those suffering from MCI who fell below the most optimal MMSE cut off score ranged from 45 to 77 percent (Cruz-Orduna et al., 2012; Cullen et al., 2005; Kaufer et al., 2008; Saxton et al., 2009; Tariq et al., 2006). This means that the proportion of those with MCI who were missed by the MMSE ranged from 23 to 55 percent in these studies. 

Fortunately, there are a number of neuropsychological tests that are designed to be sensitive to even subtle changes in cognitive ability associated with neurodegenerative disorders in the early stages.  These tests compare persons taking the test to those who are nearly the same age and sometimes same level of education to reduce the possibility of misdiagnosis.  A thorough neuropsychological evaluation can help detect brain diseases early, which means that intervention can take place sooner.  Prompt treatment can slow cognitive decline and delay the necessity for less desired and more costly interventions such hospitalization and/or group home placement.

References

Cruz-Orduna I., Bellon J.M., Torrero P., Aparicio, E., Sanz, A., Mula, N., Marzana, G., Begue, C., Cabezon, D., & Olazaran, J. (2012). Detecting MCI and dementia in primary care: Efficiency of the MMS, the FAQ and the IQCODE. Family Practice, 29(4), 401–6.

Cullen B., Fahy S., Cunningham C.J., Coen, R.F, Bruce, I., Greene, E., Coakley, D., Walsh, J.B., & Lawlor, B.A. (2005). Screening for dementia in an Irish community sample using MMSE: a comparison of norm-adjusted versus fixed cut-points. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 20(4), 371–6.

Kaufer D.I., Williams C.S., Braaten A.J., Gill, K., Zimmerman, S., & Sloane, P.D. (2008). Cognitive screening for dementia and mild cognitive impairment in assisted living: comparison of 3 tests. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 9(8), 586–93.

Saxton J., Morrow L., Eschman A., Archer, G., Luther, J., & Zuccolotto, A. (2009). Computer assessment of mild cognitive impairment. Postgraduate Medicine, 121(2), 177–85.

Sperling, R.A., Aisen, P.S., Beckett, L.A., Bennett, D.A., Craft, S., Fagan, A.M., Iwatsubo, T., Jack, C.R., & Kaye, J. (2011). Toward defining the preclinical stages of Alzheimer’s disease: Recommendations from the National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer’s Association workgroup.  Alzheimer’s and Dementia, 7(3), 280-292.

Tariq S.H., Tumosa N., Chibnall J.T., Perry, M.H., & Morley, J.E. (2006). Comparison of the Saint   LouisUniversity mental status examination and the Mini-Mental State Examination for detecting dementia and mild neurocognitive disorder—a pilot study. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 14(11), 900–10.

During a neuropsychological evaluation, I gather information about symptoms, social, medical, and school history, assess difficulties with everyday activities, and administer neuropsychological tests. Unlike neuroimaging techniques like CT or MRI, which let us look at the structure of the brain, neuropsychological testing is the best way to see how the brain functions while trying to get things done.  Simply put, neuroimaging techniques are like looking at a car engine while neuropsychological testing is like doing a test drive.

Neuropsychological tests are designed to provide a precise measure of different types of brain function, such as memory and attention. A full battery of neuropsychological tests will assess:

• Intellectual functioning
• Attention
• Mental speed
• Working memory
• Language
• Verbal and nonverbal learning and memory
• Motor skills
• Visuospatial abilities
• Organization and planning
• Psychological/emotional functioning
• Academic skills (If appropriate)

With this information, it is possible to obtain a detailed picture of an individual’s strengths and weaknesses and how specific deficits contribute to real life problems. This is used to create more effective treatment plans and inform clinicians about other services that may be appropriate. In addition, because neuropsychological tests are designed to be sensitive, they can find subtle brain changes that less detailed testing may miss.

There are many other potential benefits of neuropsychological assessment, including:

• Early detection of a condition affecting the brain.  Many neuropsychological tests are designed to detect small weaknesses in brain functioning. This may allow for detection of conditions during the early stages of a debilitating disease, when getting treatment can be critical

• Diagnosis.  Some conditions that affect brain functioning have a distinct pattern of strengths and weaknesses on neuropsychological testing

• Document changes in brain functioning over time

• Assess changes in brain functioning due to a treatment.  Comparison of performance pre and post-treatment can help measure treatment effectiveness

• Make informed predictions about difficulties someone may have when resuming work, school, or other responsibilities and prepare for any difficulties in advance

Neuropsychological testing can help doctors develop more informed therapies for their patients, and it can help patients understand more about themselves and their brains.

Recommended Reading:

Want to know more about how to prepare for a neuropsychological evaluation? Please see I Was Referred for a Neuropsychological Evaluation. What’s Next?

For an informational pamphlet published by the American Psychological Association that describes neuropsychology to patients and families, click here.