Wellness Wednesday

First Form of Mental Exercise Discovered That Positively Links to a Reduction in Chance of Developing Dementia

For the first time in aging research history, a form of mental exercise has been positively linked to a reduction in the chance of developing dementia.

 Dementia is one of the major causes of disability among older people worldwide, with Alzheimer's disease being the most common contribution at 60-70% of all cases.Worldwide, ~47 million people have been diagnosed with dementia, and 10 million more cases being diagnosed and added to that total each year. With this large number of people affected in the minds of many researchers, a search for a treatment after diagnosis along with a treatment to prevent the disease from developing has been a hot research topic. Researchers at Indiana University, along with collaborators at the University of South Florida and Pennsylvania State University and Moderna Therapeutics, conducted a ten year long research study to further understand and discover the effects that different types of mental exercises may have on the development of dementia.

 The research study looked at adults 65 years and older from multiple sites and were assigned to one of four groups: 

1. Participants who received instructions and practice in strategies to improve memory of life events and activities.
2. Participants who received instructions and practice in strategies to help with problem solving and related issues.
3. Participants who received computer based speed of processing exercises which were designed to increase the amount and complexity of information they could process quickly. 
4. Participants who made no change in their normal lifestyle. 

The initial training sessions consisted of 10 60-minutes sessions over a period of six weeks and, for those who were eligible after completing 80% of the initial activities, 4 60-75 minute activities that took place 11 and 35 months after the initial sessions. After the 10 year period was over, 1,220 of the participants who were still alive reported in to the researchers. 260 participants had developed dementia, however, a statistically significant 29% less of the third group reported having dementia compared to those in the fourth group. The software used in the third group adjusted the speed and difficulty of the assignments and games based on the user's performance, which differs from the constant and unpersonalized level of difficulty of assignments offered in the first two groups. Further research is being conducted to further understand and expand upon the effect that speed of processing activities may have on the prevention of dementia.