A large study followed more than 2,000 people over the age of 65 for 20 years. The participants came from six major metropolitan areas in the United States.
They were divided into different groups that carried out various types of brain training.
Some participants took part in up to ten training sessions over five to six weeks. Each session lasted between 60 and 70 minutes.
After the training, researchers monitored the participants’ health through records in the U.S. healthcare system, Medicare, to determine who later developed dementia.
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The results have been published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia.
Mental training
The study examined three forms of mental training. The first focused on memory and techniques for remembering words and information.
The second focused on logical thinking and patterns, where participants had to determine what came next in a sequence of tasks.
The third type of training involved reacting quickly to visual information. Participants had to identify and respond to images or symbols under time pressure while maintaining focus on several things at once.
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One result stands out
According to the study, memory exercises and logical tasks did not show any clear effect on the risk of dementia.
However, the results showed that people who trained rapid information processing and later received an additional follow-up training session had about a 25 percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia.
The researchers emphasize that the results do not show that the training directly prevents the disease. Instead, it may help delay the point at which symptoms appear.
Sources: Prevention, and Alzheimer’s & Dementia.
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