Brain Exercises Help to Preserve Memory

Researchers from Rush University Medical Center (Illinois, USA) completed a study suggesting a cause and effect relationship: namely, that being mentally active leads to better cognitive health in old age.  Robert S. Wilson and colleagues studied the mental activities of 1,076 men and women, average age 80 years, who were free of dementia. Participants underwent yearly memory exams for about five years. They reported how often they read the newspaper, wrote letters, visited a library and played board games such as chess or checkers. The results showed that people’s participation in mentally stimulating activities and their mental functioning declined at similar rates over the years. The researchers also found that they could predict participants’ level of cognitive functioning by looking at their level of mental activity the year before but that level of cognitive functioning did not predict later mental activity.  The study authors conclude that: “The results suggest that more frequent mental stimulation in old age leads to better cognitive functioning.”