How can we maintain our minds good and sharp as we grow old? Mentally difficult duties like taking part in video games, fixing puzzles, and studying books might all be helpful on this regard, in keeping with a brand new examine.
Researchers from the College of Southern Mississippi, Texas A&M College, and Indiana College checked out data of 5,932 individuals aged 50 or above in 2012, with gentle cognitive impairment (MCI). They had been monitored for eight years by means of cellphone interviews and self-reported surveys as a part of the bigger Well being and Retirement Research challenge.
These contributors had been ranked as low, mid, or excessive when it comes to how usually they engaged in cognitively stimulating leisure actions, or CSLAs – actions together with studying, writing, taking part in video games corresponding to chess, doing crossword puzzles, and participating in hobbies.
“In short, the high-level participation group consistently exhibited higher cognitive function levels during the study period and maintained a similar level of cognitive functions compared to the other groups,” says Junhyoung Kim, an affiliate professor of well being habits at Texas A&M College.
The advantages of excessive ranges of involvement in CSLAs had been constant throughout reminiscence, consideration, and cognitive processing velocity, the researchers report. Based mostly on customary cognitive exams, these within the excessive group did higher than the mid group, and the mid group did higher than the low group to a statistically important degree.
Whereas cognitive decline was evident in all three teams over the examine interval, the decline was slower within the excessive participation group. That means common actions that maintain the thoughts sharp can struggle the consequences of growing old – not less than in individuals who have already been identified with gentle cognitive impairment.
“The optimal level of CSLA activity that resulted in optimal increases in cognitive functioning during a given period was found to be more than three times a week,” write the researchers of their revealed paper.
“These findings suggest that positive lifestyle interventions, a nonpharmacological treatment, have an important role in promoting cognitive function and in the prevention of cognitive decline in aging or older adults with MCI.”
A number of earlier research have made the connection between brain-taxing actions, like jigsaw puzzles, and safety towards cognitive decline. Whereas this analysis is not detailed sufficient to show trigger and impact, it might be that ‘exercising’ the mind helps to maintain it in form, which might make sense.
Since gentle cognitive impairment usually precedes circumstances corresponding to Alzheimer’s, this analysis might contribute to figuring out therapies that impede the onset of dementia. Because the world’s rising inhabitants will get older, the numbers of aged individuals with these circumstances will rise too.
“Today, nearly six million people in the United States have dementia, and this number is projected to grow to about 14 million by 2060 – with minority populations affected the most,” says Kim.
The analysis has been revealed within the Journal of Cognitive Enhancement.
