@article{63563,
abstract = {{
Introduction
Age-related changes in brain signal complexity are associated with cognitive decline and reduced neural adaptivity in older adults. Exergaming offers a promising prophylactic intervention combining physical and cognitive training. The aim of the present study was to assess how exergaming alters the temporal trajectory of brain signal complexity at rest and during gameplay in older adults.
Methods
Twenty-eight healthy older adults participated in a 4-week exergaming intervention. Electroencephalography was recorded using 64 electrodes at rest (pre- and post-intervention) and during exergaming (pre-, mid-, and post-intervention). Brain signal complexity was quantified using multiscale entropy across 64 time scales on preprocessed signals.
Results
Post-intervention resting-state analysis revealed significant reductions at fine and increases at coarse scales in frontal, central, and posterior entropy. During gameplay, entropy declined widespread by mid-intervention, particularly at coarse scales over frontal, central and temporal regions. From mid- to post-intervention, the decline narrowed leaving a net pre-to-post reduction concentrated at coarse scales in these regions.
Discussion
Resting-state changes indicated a shift toward a younger brain profile, characterized by a transition from age-related increases in local processing to enhanced distributed processing, which may potentially mitigate the rise in neural modularity associated with aging. During gameplay, brain signal complexity decreased in week 2, followed by a modest change by week 4, consistent with the framework in which complexity initially streamlines and then adjusts toward a task-specific optimum. These findings suggest that exergaming can beneficially modulate brain complexity in older adults, offering the potential to reduce age-related neural decline and support healthy brain aging.
}},
author = {{Piskin, Daghan Yüksel and Müller, Helen Martha and Skjæret-Maroni, Nina and Vereijken, Beatrix and Baumeister, Jochen}},
issn = {{1663-4365}},
journal = {{Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience}},
publisher = {{Frontiers Media SA}},
title = {{{Rewiring the aging brain: exergaming modulates brain complexity in older adults}}},
doi = {{10.3389/fnagi.2025.1748274}},
volume = {{17}},
year = {{2026}},
}
@article{44545,
abstract = {{IntroductionExergames are increasingly used in rehabilitation settings for older adults to train physical and cognitive abilities. To meet the potential that exergames hold, they need to be adapted to the individual abilities of the player and their training objectives. Therefore, it is important to know whether and how game characteristics affect their playing. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of two different kinds of exergame (step game and balance game) played at two difficulty levels on brain activity and physical activity.MethodsTwenty-eight older independently living adults played two different exergames at two difficulty levels each. In addition, the same movements as during gaming (leaning sideways with feet in place and stepping sideways) were performed as reference movements. Brain activity was recorded using a 64-channel EEG system to assess brain activity, while physical activity was recorded using an accelerometer at the lower back and a heart rate sensor. Source-space analysis was applied to analyze the power spectral density in theta (4 Hz–7 Hz) and alpha-2 (10 Hz–12 Hz) frequency bands. Vector magnitude was applied to the acceleration data.ResultsFriedman ANOVA revealed significantly higher theta power for the exergaming conditions compared to the reference movement for both games. Alpha-2 power showed a more diverse pattern which might be attributed to task-specific conditions. Acceleration decreased significantly from the reference movement to the easy condition to the hard condition for both games.DiscussionThe results indicate that exergaming increases frontal theta activity irrespective of type of game or difficulty level, while physical activity decreases with increasing difficulty level. Heart rate was found to be an inappropriate measure in this population older adults. These findings contribute to understanding of how game characteristics affect physical and cognitive activity and consequently need to be taken into account when choosing appropriate games and game settings for exergame interventions.}},
author = {{Müller, Helen and Baumeister, Jochen and Bardal, Ellen Marie and Vereijken, Beatrix and Skjæret-Maroni, Nina}},
issn = {{1663-4365}},
journal = {{Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience}},
keywords = {{Cognitive Neuroscience, Aging}},
publisher = {{Frontiers Media SA}},
title = {{{Exergaming in older adults: the effects of game characteristics on brain activity and physical activity}}},
doi = {{10.3389/fnagi.2023.1143859}},
volume = {{15}},
year = {{2023}},
}
@article{45149,
abstract = {{IntroductionExergames are increasingly used in rehabilitation settings for older adults to train physical and cognitive abilities. To meet the potential that exergames hold, they need to be adapted to the individual abilities of the player and their training objectives. Therefore, it is important to know whether and how game characteristics affect their playing. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of two different kinds of exergame (step game and balance game) played at two difficulty levels on brain activity and physical activity.MethodsTwenty-eight older independently living adults played two different exergames at two difficulty levels each. In addition, the same movements as during gaming (leaning sideways with feet in place and stepping sideways) were performed as reference movements. Brain activity was recorded using a 64-channel EEG system to assess brain activity, while physical activity was recorded using an accelerometer at the lower back and a heart rate sensor. Source-space analysis was applied to analyze the power spectral density in theta (4 Hz–7 Hz) and alpha-2 (10 Hz–12 Hz) frequency bands. Vector magnitude was applied to the acceleration data.ResultsFriedman ANOVA revealed significantly higher theta power for the exergaming conditions compared to the reference movement for both games. Alpha-2 power showed a more diverse pattern which might be attributed to task-specific conditions. Acceleration decreased significantly from the reference movement to the easy condition to the hard condition for both games.DiscussionThe results indicate that exergaming increases frontal theta activity irrespective of type of game or difficulty level, while physical activity decreases with increasing difficulty level. Heart rate was found to be an inappropriate measure in this population older adults. These findings contribute to understanding of how game characteristics affect physical and cognitive activity and consequently need to be taken into account when choosing appropriate games and game settings for exergame interventions.}},
author = {{Müller, Helen Martha and Baumeister, Jochen and Bardal, Ellen Marie and Vereijken, Beatrix and Skjæret-Maroni, Nina}},
issn = {{1663-4365}},
journal = {{Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience}},
keywords = {{Cognitive Neuroscience, Aging}},
publisher = {{Frontiers Media SA}},
title = {{{Exergaming in older adults: the effects of game characteristics on brain activity and physical activity}}},
doi = {{10.3389/fnagi.2023.1143859}},
volume = {{15}},
year = {{2023}},
}