Give your brain a boost just by watching video

Given the influx of video-capable devices and technologies brought to market in recent years, a study like this was a long time coming.

According to a report that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 66th Annual Meeting, watching video of simple tasks prior to actually performing the chore itself may boost the brain’s structure, or plasticity, and help increase an individual’s motor skills. 

The study saw 36 right-handed adults participate in a 40-minute training session five times a week for two weeks. Half the group watched videos of a specific task, ranging from cutting with scissors to handling coins to writing with a pen and more, before being asked to perform said task.

The other half watched videos of landscapes prior to being asked to perform the same tasks.

At the start of the study and then again two weeks later at its conclusion, the groups were tested for strength and hand skills. They also underwent 3D MRI brain scans, where scientists looked at brain volume changes in both groups.

The study’s results indicate that the group who watched the activity videos had 11 times greater improvement of motor skill abilities (mostly with strength), as compared to the group that watched the landscape videos.

“Our study lends credence to the idea that even as an adult, your brain is able to better learn skills just by watching the activity take place. With a dramatic increase of videos available through mobile phones, computers, and other newer technology, this topic should be the focus of more research,” said study author Paolo Preziosa, MD, with San Raffaele Hospital in Milan, Italy. “The results might also contribute to reducing disability and improving quality of those who are impaired or who are undergoing physical rehabilitation.”

Preziosa’s study was supported by the Italian Foundation for Multiple Sclerosis.

Story via aan.com