Training your brain with strategies to improve its ability to recall information may improve memory and delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study.
Brain training has long been a focus of research, though study findings on the subject have been mixed. In 2014, 70 scientists signed a statement that the "consensus of the group is that claims promoting brain games are frequently exaggerated and at times misleading." They argued that research did not back assertions that brain games improved memory. But a separate group of more than 100 scientists published another letter in 2014 in reaction to the first, stating that a "a substantial and growing body of evidence shows that certain cognitive training regimens can significantly improve cognitive function."
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The new study, published Thursday in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring, found that a group of seniors who underwent brain training had a slower decline in memory and thinking skills compared to a group that did not have the training. The benefits endured five years later.
"These results are important, because this kind of intervention is non-pharmacological — there are no drugs involved — and can have a significant impact on the lives of those affected," said the study's lead author, Sylvie Belleville, a professor at the University of Montreal.
Alzheimer's, the most common form of dementia, affected an estimated 5.8 million Americans in 2020. It begins with mild memory loss that can progress to the point that people can no longer hold conversations or interact with the environment around them. There is no known cure and its cause is unknown.
Researchers recruited 145 seniors with mild cognitive impairment from memory clinics in Montreal. They taught one group memory exercises, such as memorizing to-do lists and people's names, two hours a week for eight weeks. The benefits of the brain training strategies appeared six months into the research.
"It is noteworthy that these enduring effects were achieved through a relatively brief, cost-effective intervention that can be readily implemented as a preventive measure for at-risk individuals," the researchers wrote.
Research also has shown that exercise affects brain plasticity and helps protect memory and thinking skills. An analysis of 58 studies concluded that people who exercised regularly were up to 20% less likely to develop dementia than people who did not exercise on a consistent basis. Shifting from being inactive to active produced the most benefits. People who engaged in aerobic exercise for 20 to 30 minutes several times a week through midlife also seemed to see the most positive results.
A 2020 study found that elderly people who exercised the least were more than twice as likely to develop Alzheimer's.