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 For adults 70 and older without cognitive problems, playing games
was associated with a 22 percent reduced risk of what's known as
new-onset mild cognitive impairment, a condition that can happen
before age-related declines in brain function give way to full-blown
dementia.
Working on crafts was tied to a 28 percent lower risk of mild
cognitive impairment, computer use was linked to 30 percent smaller
odds and social activities were associated with 23 percent decreased
risk, the study also found.
"Mentally stimulating activities perhaps in combination with known
healthy life styles such as exercise are simple and inexpensive
activities that can potentially protect people against the
development of mild cognitive impairment," said senior study author
Dr. Yonas E. Geda, a psychiatry and neurology researcher at the Mayo
Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona.
To see how different activities might influence the odds of
developing impairments, researchers examined data on 1,929 adults
age 70 and older who didn't have any cognitive problems at the
outset. They evaluated participants every 15 months. Half of their
subjects stayed in the study for more than four years.
In surveys, participants reported how often they did various
activities. Researchers then compared the risk of new-onset mild
cognitive impairment based on whether people did activities at least
once or twice a week or no more than two or three times a month.
At the start of the study, half of the participants were at least 77
years old.
By the end of the study, 456 people had developed new-onset mild
cognitive impairment, according to a report in JAMA Neurology.
Researchers took a closer look at a subset of 512 people who had an
increased risk of cognitive decline because they carried a version
of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene that is a risk factor for mild
cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s dementia.
For carriers of the high-risk APOE gene, only computer use and
social activities were associated with a decreased risk of mild
cognitive impairment.
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The study wasn't a controlled experiment designed to test whether or
how different activities might directly prevent or delay the onset
of cognitive decline, the authors note.
Some previous research has found that repeating familiar activities,
even challenging ones, may not necessarily be enough to ward off
cognitive decline, said Dr. Denise Park, a longevity researcher at
the University of Texas in Dallas who wasn't involved in the current
study.
Playing games or socializing at home may not protect the brain
against decline, but devoting several hours a week over several
months to learning new activities may be associated with better
brain function, Park said by email.
"Our research suggests mentally demanding, novel tasks like quilting
or learning photography are worthwhile," Park added. "Learning how
to use a computer and many apps" also helped.
Her advice to elderly people who want to keep their mind sharp: "Do
something that is engaging and fun for you that you want to spend
time on."
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2jRRFj1 JAMA Neurology, online January 30,
2017.
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