Mentally stimulating brain games may delay dementia onset

For adults 70 and older without cognitive problems, playinggames was associated with a 22 per cent reduced risk of what'sknown as new-onset mild cognitive impairment, a condition thatcan happen before age-related declines in brain function giveway to full-blown dementia.

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"Mentally stimulating activities perhaps in combination withknown healthy lifestyles such as exercise are simple andinexpensive activities that can potentially protect peopleagainst the development of mild cognitive impairment," saidsenior study author Dr. Yonas E. Geda, a psychiatry andneurology researcher at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona.

They evaluated participants every 15 months. Halfof their subjects stayed in the study for more than four years.

In surveys, participants reported how often they did variousactivities. Researchers then compared the risk of new-onset mildcognitive impairment based on whether people did activities atleast once or twice a week or no more than two or three times amonth.

By the end of the study, 456 people had developed new-onsetmild cognitive impairment, according to a report in JAMANeurology.

Researchers took a closer look at a subset of 512 people whohad an increased risk of cognitive decline because they carrieda version of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene that is a riskfactor for mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's dementia.

The study wasn't a controlled experiment designed to testwhether or how different activities might directly prevent ordelay the onset of cognitive decline, the authors note.

Playing games or socializing at home may not protect thebrain against decline, but devoting several hours a week overseveral months to learning new activities may be associated withbetter brain function, Park said by email.

"Learning how to use a computer and many apps" also helped.Her advice to elderly people who want to keep their mindsharp: "Do something that is engaging and fun for you that youwant to spend time on."