Mental exercise can speed up the rate of decline for dementia

It is commonly believed that mental exercise lets seniors outrun dementia. However, new research suggests seniors who engage in such brain exercise could in reality have a quicker rate of decline once Alzheimer’s is diagnosed, researchers reported Wednesday.

Robert S. Wilson, PhD, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago who lead the study, states that the research indicates that the benefits of holding back the first signs of cognitive decline may come at a cost – that cost being a faster progression of dementia later on in old age. “The question is..why does this happen?”, he added.

The 12-year study evaluated looked activities of 1,157 people 65 years or older without dementia at the start. Participants were assessed at baseline, and then for Alzheimer’s at the six-year mark. Then, every three years, they answered questions about how often they participated in activities. People answered questions about how often they participated in mental activities such as listening to the radio, watching telly, reading, playing games and going to a museum For each one-point increase in cognitive activity scores in Alzheimer’s disease patients, the rate of cognitive decline increased 42% (P<0.001),

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, that affects as many as 5 million individuals in the U.S., according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.