Japan researchers develop device hoped to help overcome ‘mental frailty’ among elderly

From The Mainichi

September 28 2024

NAGOYA – A team of researchers in central Japan’s Aichi Prefecture has developed a mental workout device that can measure and potentially reverse cognitive function decline due to aging.

The research group, including information technology professor Yutaka Ishibashi at Aichi Sangyo University and rehabilitation science professor Yoshifumi Morita at Nagoya Institute of Technology, claims that the new device will help older people improve their cognitive well-being and overcome “mental frailty.”

Frailty refers to a state between being healthy and requiring nursing care. Once it worsens to the point of needing care, recovery becomes difficult, making support during the stage of mental frailty crucial. A common condition of this stage is mild cognitive impairment.

The research group developed a gamelike system that uses a cylindrical device with the firmness of hard tofu. Users adjust their grip force between 150 and 400 grams to trace a line of stars displayed on the screen. People with mild cognitive impairment tend to deviate from the line more easily than healthy elderly individuals, allowing for early detection of those suspected of developing the condition.

In another study, when seniors in good health played the game for 10 minutes daily over 30 days, the team confirmed improvements in attention and memory functions. Since the area of the brain responsible for controlling finger movements occupies a quarter of the sensory cortex and a third of the motor cortex, it is suggested that this activity may also positively impact other parts of the brain.