Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of the GO Game Intervention on Cognitive Function

The rules of the game are quite simple to learn but learning the strategy to win is incredibly hard. I learned in my mid 20s and never became any good at it. Their measurement of results is way too simplistic. It is like learning the rules of checkers but never keeping track of wins and losses.  
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1533317517753362

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Ai Iizuka, MD¹²

Ai Iizuka

1Research Team for Social Participation and Community Health, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, Japan2Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
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, Hiroyuki Suzuki, PhD¹

Hiroyuki Suzuki

1Research Team for Social Participation and Community Health, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, Japan
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, Susumu Ogawa, PhD¹

Susumu Ogawa

1Research Team for Social Participation and Community Health, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, Japan
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Kimi Estela Kobayashi-Cuya, MS¹²

Kimi Estela Kobayashi-Cuya

1Research Team for Social Participation and Community Health, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, Japan2Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
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, Momoko Kobayashi, MS¹

Momoko Kobayashi

1Research Team for Social Participation and Community Health, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, Japan
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, Toru Takebayashi, MD, PhD²

Toru Takebayashi

2Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
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, Yoshinori Fujiwara, MD, PhD¹

Yoshinori Fujiwara

1Research Team for Social Participation and Community Health, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, Japan
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First Published January 18, 2018 Research Article

https://doi.org/10.1177/1533317517753362

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Article Information

Volume: 33 issue: 3, page(s): 192-198

Article first published online: January 18, 2018; Issue published: May 1, 2018

https://doi.org/10.1177/1533317517753362

Ai Iizuka, MD^{1, 2}, Hiroyuki Suzuki, PhD¹, Susumu Ogawa, PhD¹, Kimi Estela Kobayashi-Cuya, MS^{1, 2}, Momoko Kobayashi, MS¹, Toru Takebayashi, MD, PhD², Yoshinori Fujiwara, MD, PhD¹

¹Research Team for Social Participation and Community Health, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, Japan

²Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan

Corresponding Author: Ai Iizuka, MD, Research Team for Social Participation and Community Health, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, 35-2 Sakae-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 173-0015, Japan. Email: aiizuka@tmig.or.jp

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Abstract

This study investigated the effects of an intervention using the game “GO” on cognitive function in nursing home residents and evaluated the acquisition of GO according to each stage of dementia. Participants were randomly assigned to either the GO intervention group or a control group, and the intervention was performed once weekly for 15 weeks. Cognitive tests were conducted before and after intervention, and 17 participants were included in the final analysis. Analysis of covariance demonstrated that in the intervention group, the digit span total score significantly improved and the digit span backward score was maintained, whereas these scores decreased in the control group. All participants, including those who had moderate dementia, acquired the rules of the game, and participants with mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia could play the game successfully. This study indicates that GO might improve the cognitive function of residents living in nursing homes.