Study: Brain-Exercising Activitites May Reduce Risk of Alzheimer's

Elderly people who engage in activities that exercise their brains may reduce their risk of Alzheimer's disease but physical exercise appears to have little effect, according to a study reported in the June 19 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Previous studies have also linked mental activities and a reduced risk of dementia in elderly people, but it was uncertain whether lower participation in these activities was the consequence or the cause of cognitive decline.

To resolve this issue, researchers from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Syracuse University in New York observed 469 elderly participants for a long period of time before they were diagnosed with dementia, and examined how frequently they participated in leisure activities.

Over an average follow-up period of 5.1 years, dementia developed in 124 subjects. Of those, 61 had Alzheimer's disease. Mental activities such as reading and playing board games and musical instruments significantly reduced the risk of dementia, while physical activities had no effect. The reduction in risk of dementia appeared to be related to the frequency with which they engaged in such activities.

In an accompanying editorial, Dr Joseph Coyle, of Harvard Medical School, suggested that mental activities "may promote plastic changes in the brain that circumvent the pathology underlying the symptoms of dementia."

Coyle urged seniors "to read, play board games and go ballroom dancing because these activities, at the very least, enhance their quality of life, and they just might do more than that."

Other sources: New England Journal of Medicine, 2003; 348: 2508-2516