Brain training games come under medical debate

Brain training games such as those available for the Nintendo DS console can help to stimulate certain information processing parts of the brain, according to one consultant clinical psychologist and author.

Dr Ron Bracey explained: "Everyone can become more critical, more effective, more reasoned and these brain training devices are certainly good at improving and developing processing speeds, working memory and discrimination tasks…they can probably increase decision making speeds too."

Studies have shown that degenerative brain conditions such as Alzheimer's disease can be worsened by depression.

In response, Dr Bracey believes that patients with brain injury or reduced brain function brought on by age need to adopt a positive mental attitude to brain training in order to lower the risk of giving up.

Meanwhile, cognitive neuropsychologist Dr Chris Moulin argues that brain games in general can have a positive effect in terms of giving ageing people and older generations a sense of achievement, but that more scientific evidence is required to fully explore the affects games such as Nintendo DS have on improved neurological function among these targeted categories of people.