The computer game's concept is relatively simple. Find the matching motor vehicle and road sign amid a series of increasing distractions. Succeed and the challenge gets quicker and harder.

这款电脑游戏的理念十分简单，就是在干扰力度逐渐增大的情况下，准确地匹配汽车类型与路标。通过一关后，挑战难度和速度就会不断提高。

Cognitive-training games like this one, Double Decision, are designed to improve brain functions and are at the center of a growing body of research looking at their effectiveness as scientists strive to find ways to ward off the cognitive declines that usually come with age.

认知训练类游戏专为改善大脑功能而设计，“三思而行”(Double Decision)就是其中之一。由于科学家们正努力寻找能够解决人们认知能力随年龄增长而下降的方法，越来越多的研究开始关注这类游戏的有效性。

A government-funded study published this month found that playing Double Decision can slow and even reverse declines in brain function associated with aging, while playing crossword puzzles cannot. The study builds on an earlier large trial which found that older people who played various cognitive games had better health-related outcomes, driving records and performed better at everyday tasks such as preparing a meal.

本月发表的一项研究显示，玩“三思而行”(Double Decision)能够减缓甚至扭转人们随着年龄增长而脑功能下降的趋势，而填字游戏却做不到这一点。该研究由政府资助，其结果来源于早先一次大规模的试验，该试验表明：玩过多种认知游戏的老年人具有更好的健康状况和驾驶记录；做饭等日常事务也表现得更出色。

Such research has led groups like AARP, the big seniors group, to jump on board and offer discounts for certain games that have shown proven benefits.

这一研究致使大型老年人组织美国退休人员协会(AARP)也参与到实践中，向老人提供一些已经被证实具有良好效果的游戏产品，并为他们提供一定的折扣。

Doctors who work with the elderly say they get many questions about so-called brain games and exercises. Despite promising study results, some doctors say there still isn't enough evidence to prove such exercises will help people in everyday life.

与老人打交道的医生则对所谓的脑力游戏和训练产生了质疑。虽然研究结果十分明朗，但一些医生认为目前还没有足够的证据表明，这样的游戏训练能在日常生活给予人们帮助。

'What they do is they train you with a computer program to do better on a test' of cognitive function, said Barbara Messinger-Rapport, director of the Center for Geriatric Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. 'But does that mean you do better on real-life activities that utilize those skills such as driving . . .or managing your medications?'

美国俄亥俄州克利夫兰医院(Cleveland Clinic)老年医学中心主任芭芭拉•梅新杰•拉波特(Barbara Messinger-Rapport)说：“他们所做的无非是通过电脑程序来使得老人在认知测试上有较好的表现，但这并不意味着你在现实生活中也具有同样的认知能力，比如开车或者管理药物。”

Fredric Wolinsky, lead researcher for the latest study and a professor at the College of Public Health at the University of Iowa, said previous studies have demonstrated there are real-world benefits to playing certain computer games, including a reduction in depression symptoms. A study published in 2011 as part of a multi-year, government-funded trial, known as ACTIVE, showed that participants followed for six years had a 50% lower rate of motor-vehicle accidents following cognitive training, said Dr. Wolinsky, who didn't participate in that research. The study appeared in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

本次项目的首席研究员，来自爱荷华大学公共卫生学院(College of Public Health at the University of Iowa)的教授弗雷德里克•沃林斯基(Fredric Wolinsky)表示，之前的研究已经证明：玩一些电脑游戏的确对实际生活有帮助，例如减轻抑郁症状。作为美国政府多年资助项目ACTIVE的一部分，一项于2011年发布的研究表明，经过六年认知训练的老人在安全驾驶方面的表现明显改善，造成交通事故的几率下降50%。沃林斯基并没有参与该项研究。该研究发表在《美国老年医学会期刊(Journal of the American Geriatrics Society)》上。

The latest study, called the Iowa Healthy and Active Minds Study, published this month in the online journal PLOS ONE, was a randomized controlled trial involving 681 healthy people. Participants were divided into two age groups -- from 50 to 64, and 65 and over. People in each group were assigned either to play Road Tour, which has since been renamed Double Decision, or to do computerized crossword puzzles; some did the exercises in the lab and others at home.

最近一项刊登在《公共科学图书馆期刊(PLoS One)》上，名为《爱荷华州积极健康思想研究》(Iowa Healthy and Active Minds Study)的项目对681个健康人士进行了随机对照测试。参与者被分成两个组，分别是年龄50岁至64岁和65岁以上。每个组的成员要么进行“公路旅行(Road Tour)”游戏（之后改名为“三思而行”(Double Decision)），要么进行填字游戏；一些成员选择在实验室训练，其他的则在家里完成。

Double Decision briefly displays an image of a vehicle and a particular road sign. As the screen continually shifts, and assorted vehicles and road signs come and go, players must watch out for and identify the particular vehicle and sign that appeared at the game's start. The game becomes more challenging as players advance levels, forcing them to quicken their mental speed as distractions multiply and images become harder to distinguish. The study, which was funded by the National Institutes of Health, involved playing the game a minimum of 10 hours over a five-to-eight-week time period. One group played for an additional four hours after 11 months.

“三思而行”(Double Decision)先简要地显示一辆特定汽车和路标的图片。然后屏幕不停转换，各种各样的汽车和路标来回滚动，玩者必须集中注意力，辨认出游戏开始时出现的指定汽车和路标。游戏难度随着过关次数逐渐增加，在干扰力度变大，图片变得难以辨认的情况下，迫使他们提高反应速度。该研究由美国国家卫生研究院(National Institutes of Health)资助，要求参与者在5至8周测试时期内保证最少10个小时的游戏时间。一个组在11个月后还额外玩了4小时。

Before beginning the study, participants were given standard cognitive tests, many involving executive-function tasks such as concentration and shifting from one mental task to another. The results were ranked relative to the average performance on those tests for the participants' age group.

在进行研究前，该研究机构已经对参与者的认知能力进行了测试，其中很多都包含了注意力测试、脑力劳动转换测试等“执行功能(executive function tasks)”测试。测试结果与每位参与者所在组别的平均表现相关。

The same tests were administered a year later. People assigned to do crossword puzzles showed typical cognitive one-year declines, Dr. Wolinsky said. But the groups who played the computer game showed a clear improvement compared with the normal loss of cognitive function as people age. The amount of improvement ranged from two to seven years, depending on which executive function was being tested. People who worked at home improved at the same rate as those who were in the lab.

同样的测试在一年后再次进行。沃林斯基表示，那些被安排进行填字游戏的参与者表现出典型的的认知能力下降。而进行电脑游戏的参与者，相比一般随年龄增长而导致认知能力下降的人群，却有较大的改善。根据“执行能力”测试项目的不同，认知能力衰退程度放缓了2到7年。训练场所（家或实验室）对结果也并无太大影响。

Improvements in the younger group matched those among the older participants. 'That's really important,' said Dr. Wolinsky. It suggests 'we are able to start the recovery process sooner, rather than waiting until the cognitive decline has become so large.'

较年轻那组的效果与年长组的效果相当。沃林斯基表示，“这十分重要，因为这表明恢复过程能够尽早开始，而不是坐等认知能力显著下降之后。”

The study followed similar research -- the ACTIVE trial -- also sponsored by the NIH. In that trial, about 2,800 elderly participants showed improved memory, reasoning and visual processing speed after playing an earlier version of the Double Decision game, said Dr. Wolinsky, who also worked on that earlier research.

在该研究之前，美国国家卫生研究院也赞助了的一项名为“ACTIVE实验”的研究。参与了该项研究的沃林斯基表示：2,800名老年参与者在玩过较早版本的“三思而行”(Double Decision)后，记忆力、推理能力和视觉反应速度明显提高。

The ACTIVE study also tested the time it took to do daily activities, like preparing a meal, and performance tests, such as reading price tables to pick the best telephone provider, Dr. Wolinsky said. Participants showed improved performance compared with those who didn't get such cognitive training.

沃林斯基说“ACTIVE实验”也测试过参与者日常活动所花的时间，比如做饭以及通过阅读价格表来选择最便宜的电话供应商等能力测试。相比没有进行认知类训练的参与者，他们表现得更为出色。

In the latest study, Dr. Wolinsky said he chose to use the updated Double Decision game in part because it is available for home users. In comparing computer-game use with another activity, he said he chose crosswords because many older people enjoy the puzzles and the general perception is that they keep the brain and mind active and engaged.

沃林斯基说，在最近研究的部分测试中，他使用了最新版本的“三思而行”(Double Decision)，因为能够方便参与者在家测试。相对电子游戏，他选择填字游戏的原因是许多老年人喜欢玩填字游戏，而人们也普遍认为填字游戏能保持大脑和意识处于积极和忙碌的状态。

San Francisco-based Posit Science Corp., the company that makes Double Decision and other brain games, expects soon to participate in multisite studies looking at the impact such games could have in delaying or possibly preventing the onset of Alzheimer's disease, said Michael Merzenich, a professor emeritus at the University of California, San Francisco and chief scientific officer of Posit Science.

迈克尔•梅策尼希(Michael Merzenich)说，开发了“三思而行”(Double Decision)以及其他智力游戏的Posit Science公司希望尽快开展认知游戏对减缓或防止老年痴呆症(Alzheimer)的研究。Posit Science公司总部位于旧金山，梅策尼希是其首席科学官，同时也是加州大学旧金山分校(University of California, San Francisco)的名誉教授。

AARP recently began offering its members discounts on several Posit Science games, said Deborah Abernathy, director of AARP Brain Health. 'Their exercises, specifically, we found were very helpful. They're fun, they're short and they're easy to do and they're online,' she said.

美国退休人员协会(AARP)最近开始为其成员购买Posit Science游戏时提供折扣，该协会脑健康主任黛博拉•阿伯内西说，“我们发现他们公司的训练特别有帮助。趣味性强，游戏简单并且可以在网上玩。”

Dr. Wolinsky said he doesn't currently have a financial relationship with Posit Science. He did consulting work with the company for a total of 15 days from 2007 to 2009 as part of the analysis of the earlier ACTIVE study, he said.

沃林斯基表示他目前和Posit Science公司没有利益关系。由于之前的“ACTIVE实验”，他在2007年到2009年期间，为该公司做了15天的分析咨询。

Dr. Wolinsky said the next study he expects to pursue will use functional MRI imaging to measure changes in the brain in people participating in cognitive-training exercises, he said.

沃林斯基透露，他希望下一个研究可以使用功能性核磁共振成像(functional MRI imaging)来测量认知游戏参与者大脑的变化。

P. Murali Doraiswamy, a professor of psychiatry at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., said the Iowa study was one of the best and most rigorous to show the benefits of brain training in older age. But a problem with brain-training games is that people often get bored and don't continue with them. 'It's a very promising area,' he said. 'I think what we have to do is we have to make the games fun.'

穆拉利•雷斯瓦米(Murali Doraiswamy)是北卡罗来纳州达勒姆(Durham)市杜克大学(Duke University)医学中心的精神病学教授，他认为爱荷华研究项目是所有展示老年大脑训练成效研究当中最好，以及最严谨的。但对于大脑训练游戏，他觉得仍有一个问题存在：长期下来人们会对此觉得枯燥，而不再坚持进行训练。他说，“这是一个有前景的领域，我认为我们要做的就是使游戏变得趣味横生。”