WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A new study suggests that a simple brain-training exercise may lower a person's risk of developing dementia by 25 percent. However, some outside experts have warned that the results should be interpreted carefully.
The training focuses on improving mental speed and is available through the BrainHQ app. In this exercise, people look at objects on a screen and make quick decisions about them. This helps the brain process information faster and more accurately. The games automatically adjust in difficulty, becoming harder when users do well and easier when they struggle.
The study, published in a journal of the Alzheimer's Association, included about 2,800 adults aged 65 and older from six US states, including central Pennsylvania. Participants who were selected for speed training completed two sessions per week, each lasting 60 to 75 minutes, for five weeks. Some of them were later asked to do extra 'booster' sessions six months after the initial training, lasting a total of 1 to 12.5 hours. These participants also completed more booster sessions two years later.
Researchers then followed the participants' Medicare records for nearly 20 years to see who developed dementia. The initial training alone did not show much effect. However, those who completed the booster sessions were 25 percent less likely to develop dementia over time. Other participants played games designed to improve memory and reasoning skills, but these did not seem to reduce the risk of dementia.
Researchers are not fully sure why speed training may help protect against dementia. One possible reason is that it supports a type of learning that builds automatic skills without conscious effort. Once the brain adapts to these skills, the changes may last for a long time.
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