Canny Minds Blog

Crosswords ‘can delay memory loss’

Posted on 10. Aug, 2009 by Jenny in Articles, General, Memory

Researchers from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, in New York, found that performing a mental exercise twice a day could help delay the rapid memory loss associated with dementia for more than a year.

Keeping the brain active through hobbies such as crosswords, puzzles, reading, writing and playing card games, can all postpone the start of symptoms of the condition.

The findings add to a growing body of evidence that exercising the brain can help to protect against the disease in later life.

Experts warn that the number of people affected by dementia will spiral in coming decades, in part because of an ageing population.

Researchers looked at activities including crossword puzzles, playing board or card games, talking in groups, playing music, or even simply reading or writing.

They found that people aged between 75 and 85 who did an average of 11 of the activities every week tended to experience memory problems almost one year and four months later into the progression of the disease than those who did just four a week.

“The effect of these activities in late life appears to be independent of education,” said Charles Hall, who led the study. “These activities might help maintain brain vitality.

“Further studies are needed to determine if increasing participation… could prevent or delay dementia.”
The researchers found that for every additional activity an older person undertook a week the onset of rapid memory loss characteristic of the condition was delayed by an average of just over two months.

The study followed 488 older people over a five-year period, during which 101 of them developed dementia.
On average people who went on to develop the condition did one of the six activities every day, according to the findings, published in the journal Neurology.

The findings reinforce the idea that “cognitive reserve” could be built up by taking part in activities that exercise the brain.

Rebecca Wood, chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, said:

“This study shows that exercising the brain may delay the start of memory loss in people who develop dementia.

“This adds to the ‘use it or lose it’ hypothesis that we can reap the benefits of stimulating our minds regularly, perhaps by doing crosswords, playing chess or adding up the shopping before getting to the till.

“Dementia risk can be reduced by eating a healthy diet, whilst keeping an active body and mind.

“With more research we may be able to find ways of preventing dementia. 1.4 million people in the UK will develop dementia within a generation, so we need to invest now.”

Around 700,000 people in Britain currently suffer from dementia, of which around 400,000 have Alzheimer’s, the most common form.

By Kate Devlin, Medical Correspondent, The Daily Telegraph 4th August 2009

Photo courtesy of Off beat mum

Tags: 50+, alzheimer's, Boost your memory, crosswords, Female, puzzles, Word Games