23-01-12: It seems that virtual reality is not just for fun. Research has discovered that physical activity can protect against dementia in older adults and reduce the normal mental decline that comes with aging, but it has also now been shown that with the use of virtual reality, this can work even better.
A study saw groups of volunteer's aged between 58 and 99 using normal either exercise bikes and or cybercycles, which were fitted with a screen to make it seem as if they were riding on a real race road.
When the results between the two groups were compared, it showed that the group with the cybercycles had a marked improvement, with better executive brain function in areas such as memory, problem solving, attention and planning.
"We found that for older adults, virtual-reality enhanced interactive exercise, or 'cybercycling' two to three times per week for three months, yielded greater cognitive benefit, and perhaps added protection against mild cognitive impairment (MCI), than a similar dose of traditional exercise," said study leader Dr Cay Anderson-Hanley from Union College in the US.
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