Boosting Your Brain Health

According to a study published in the journal JAMA Neurology, older adults who played word games, among other cognitively stimulating activities, had a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia. However, an analysis of 33 similar studies found that while online computer games may lead to some benefits in overall cognition and/or verbal fluency, this type of brain training was no more effective than other treatments for mild dementia.

Yet another study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine tested Lumosity computerized brain games against digital crossword puzzles to see if they helped slow the progression of mild cognitive impairment. The researchers tested the subjects’ cognitive and functional skills and measured their brain volume over the course of the study. It turned out that the group that did crossword puzzles had less cognitive decline over time than the group assigned to the brain training games.

Looking at these and many similar studies, we can only conclude that the data… is inconclusive. Do these games make you better at thinking, or just better at playing them? Are some people more likely to benefit than others? Is the effect more measurable if a person is mildly cognitively impaired vs. not impaired at all? The answer to all these questions is we don’t know yet.

Playing word games on a regular basis can certainly improve your spelling and vocabulary, focus your attention, and provide some relief from stress and anxiety. But whether you are benefiting cognitively and delaying or even preventing dementia is up for debate.

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Know – and minimize – your risk factors

Now that we know what we don’t know, let’s look at what we DO know. These are risk factors for dementia, according to a report in the medical journal LANCET:

• Excess alcohol consumption
• Regular exposure to air pollution
• Lack of education
• Head injury
• High blood pressure
• Smoking
• Obesity
• Depression
• Diabetes
• Physical inactivity
• Isolation/infrequent social contact
• Exposure to certain chemicals
• Family history

If you have dementia in your family, it’s only natural to worry that you may develop the condition. However, just because you inherit a gene that increases your risk does not mean you will develop dementia. Lifestyle factors in heavily and there are things you can do – or avoid doing – to help protect yourself from age-related cognitive decline:

1. Exercise regularly to stimulate blood flow in your brain and body. Consider adding yoga or tai chi to your exercise regimen. These practices help reduce your fall risk by improving balance and proprioception (your sense of where your body is in space).
2. Wear a helmet or other protective head gear for activities such as biking, skiing, or horseback riding.
3. Don’t smoke.
4. Keep your blood pressure under control.
5. If you have prediabetes or diabetes, make sure you are managing this to the best of your abilities, following your doctor’s orders.
6. Get plenty of sleep. If you have sleep apnea or other sleep-related issues, discuss the problem with your doctor.
7. Stay connected to others – talk to friends and family often, join a meetup group, volunteer, or get involved in a cause.

How else can you train your brain?

There is some truth to “use it or lose it.” Challenging your mind keeps you interested – and interesting! Mentally stimulating activities require you to process and/or produce information. Any of the below activities will help keep you alert and engaged:

• Even if science has not definitively weighed in on the benefits of crossword puzzles, wordle, sudoku, or brain training apps, they can help focus your attention and sharpen your reasoning skills. Rather than stick to the same game, try mixing it up from one day to the next and increase the level of difficulty over time.
• Learn a language. Bilingual people tend to experience cognitive decline later than those who have never acquired a second language. Get a recording for your car, take a class, or download an app like Babbel or Duolingo.
• Listen to or make music. Music activates multiple parts of the brain governing emotion, memory, and physical movement.
• Play card or board games. Not only do these engage your mind, but they also offer an opportunity to interact with others.
• Travel. Even if you can’t afford to go somewhere exotic, you can take a day trip, just to see a new place and do a little exploring.
• Attend a play or a concert. Visit a museum and take a docent tour to learn about the exhibits. Watch a movie with subtitles. Cultural activities stimulate your curiosity and are even more enriching if you bring a friend to discuss them with.

This article appeared in the October 2024 edition of the HealthPerks newsletter.