Brain Training Exercises Can Possibly Prevent Dementia
Researchers have identified a kind of mental exercise which can reduce the risk of dementia.
The cognitive instruction, known as the speed of processing, revealed benefits up to 10 years after study participants failed the mental exercise plan, said Frederick W. Unverzagt, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry at Indiana University School of Medicine.
The percentage of participants who later developed dementia and failed the training was considerably smaller than one of those who received no cognitive instruction, the researchers said.
There were benefits even though the amount of training was small and spread out over the years: 10 sessions within six weeks initially and around eight booster sessions after that.
"We'd consider this a rather small dose of instruction, a low-intensity intervention. The persistence -- that the sturdiness of the effect was remarkable," said Dr. Unverzagt, who explains more at a Q&A blog article.
Results from the Advanced Cognitive Coaching in Vital Elderly -- ACTIVE -- study of 2,802 older adults have been recently reported at Alzheimer & Dementia Translational Research.
The researchers, from the University of South Florida and Pennsylvania State University, analyzed healthy adults aged 65 and older from several websites and that had been randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups:
Participants who received directions and practice in plans to improve the memory of lifestyle events and actions.
Participants who were given instructions to practice in strategies to assist with problem-solving and associated difficulties.
Participants that received a computer-based rate of processing exercises -- exercises designed to raise the amount and complexity of information they could process quickly.
A management group whose members did not participate in any cognitive training program.
Training consisted of 10 sessions within a span of five to fourteen days. A subset of participants that completed least 80 percent of their first round of training sessions was entitled to receive booster training, which consisted of four 60 to 75-minute sessions 11 months and 35 months following the first training. Participants were evaluated immediately the following instruction and in five, two, one, five and ten years after training.
After attrition due to death along with other aspects, 1,220 participants finished the 10-year follow-up evaluation. Throughout this moment, 260 participants developed dementia. The risk of developing dementia was 29 percent lower for participants in a speed of processing instruction compared to individuals who were in the control group, a difference that is statistically significant. Moreover, the advantages of the coaching were more powerful for those who underwent booster training. The outcomes were not statistically significant while the memory and justification training showed benefits for reducing dementia risk.
Dr. Unverzagt noted that the rate of processing training utilized computerized "adaptive training" software with touch screens. Participants were asked to identify items in the center of the display, while also identifying the place of appearing objects in the periphery. The software would adjust difficulty and the speed of the exercises based on participants performed.
In comparison the justification and memory programs used conventional instruction and training techniques as may occur in a classroom setting.
Earlier studies have revealed that ACTIVE cognitive training participants' cognitive abilities as well as the simplicity of participating in activities of daily years. However, an examination of the role of cognitive instruction on dementia prevalence was not significant after five decades of follow-up.
