Brain-Training Exercise May Lower Dementia Risk
A straightforward brain-training activity may help lower the risk of developing dementia by 25 percent, according to a recent study. However, some experts advise caution when interpreting these findings.
While there are countless brain-training games and applications that claim to mitigate cognitive decline, substantial long-term research demonstrating their effectiveness has been limited.
The new study is viewed as a rigorous randomised controlled trial—the gold standard in medical research—initiated in the late 1990s.
Over 2,800 participants aged 65 and older were randomly assigned to three types of brain training: speed, memory, or reasoning. A control group was also included.
Initially, participants underwent a one-hour training session twice a week for five weeks. They later participated in four additional sessions at one and three years into the study. Overall, participants received less than 24 hours of training.
Follow-ups after five, ten, and twenty years indicated that speed training consistently showed significant benefits. Marilyn Albert, a co-author of the study from Johns Hopkins University, remarked that those who engaged in speed training and booster sessions had a 25-percent lower risk of developing dementia after 20 years, per Medicare records.
In contrast, the two other training types did not result in any statistically significant changes.
Albert noted that this is the first comprehensive study providing insights into potential strategies for reducing dementia risk.
Nonetheless, Rachel Richardson from the Cochrane Collaboration, who wasn’t affiliated with the study, pointed out that despite the statistically significant outcome, the 25-percent reduction might not be as remarkable as it sounds.
She mentioned that the margins of error could suggest reductions between 41 percent and just 5 percent. Additionally, the study did not include individuals with conditions like impaired vision or hearing, which affects its representativeness.
Baptiste Leurent, a medical statistics expert from University College London, echoed that the study has “notable limitations.” He indicated that while one subgroup analysis displayed significant results, this alone is not necessarily robust enough to validate the intervention’s effectiveness. Further exploration is essential to ascertain whether cognitive training can indeed reduce dementia risk.
About the Speed Training
The speed training exercise entails clicking on cars and traffic signs that appear in various locations on a computer screen.
Albert expressed uncertainty about why this specific activity seems to be more effective than others. “We think this training might influence connectivity in the brain,” she suggested.
Understanding precisely how speed training works could pave the way for the creation of a new, more effective exercise in the future. However, Albert cautioned that the results do not necessarily apply to other brain-training games.
She emphasized the significance of the findings, noting that reducing dementia in 25 percent of the U.S. population could save around $100 billion in healthcare costs.
Dementia currently impacts 57 million individuals globally and ranks as the seventh leading cause of death, according to the World Health Organization.
The study has been published in the journal Alzheimer’s and Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Research.
