Brain training games 'can keep your mind active'

Brain training games can help people keep their mind active, according to the Alzheimer's Society.

The organisation was responding after a study conducted by the Medical Research Council's Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit found that brain training games have no impact on mental performance.

But Gill Myers, Alzheimer Society support service manager for York, said while the games may not increase brain power, they can help people more alert.

She said doing games which people have "enjoyed in the past like crossword puzzles, Sudoku or quizzes" can also help people feel mentally alert.

"Research shows that if you do new activities or different activities or a range of mental alert activities or if you have good social networks, it can keep your brain active," she added.

Some 11,430 adults were followed over six weeks for the study, which found no evidence which supported the claims that brain training games can improve cognitive functions.