Use It or Lose It - The Mind Needs Exercise to Stay Sharp

Recent study results suggest that the brain needs exercise if it is to stay sharp into old age. Dr Joe Verghese of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, and colleagues found that seniors can significantly lower their risk of developing dementia by regularly participating in certain leisure activities. Frequently playing board games, reading, playing a musical instrument, or doing crossword puzzles was found to lower dementia risk. Dancing was also found to lower dementia risk, however no other form of physical activity appeared to have any effect upon risk. The study also found that activities such as writing and joining in discussion groups to offer no protection against neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. Verghese suspects that regularly engaging in activities that challenge the mind may stave off dementia by increasing a person's "cognitive reserve." The theory is that mental exercise may increase the connections between brain cells or promote new networks between cells. This means that while people who engage in such activities may get dementia as often as others, mentally active people can possibly afford to lose more brain cells before symptoms of dementia start to appear.

SOURCE/REFERENCE: NEJM 2003;348:2508-2516, 2489-2490.