With brain jogging against dementia
Dr. Andrea Bannert has been with since 2013. The doctor of biology and medicine editor initially carried out research in microbiology and is the team's expert on the tiny things: bacteria, viruses, molecules and genes. She also works as a freelancer for Bayerischer Rundfunk and various science magazines and writes fantasy novels and children's stories.
More about the experts All content is checked by medical journalists.Increasing forgetfulness is normal - memory performance decreases, especially after the age of 40. However, this process can be slowed down if the brain is challenged. Sudoku, picture puzzles and the like are therefore used by some in the hope of keeping their memory fit. But do the brain training also prevent dementia? Researchers from the USA are now providing evidence of this - at least for a special form of brain jogging.
Visual attention
What is meant is the so-called "Speed of Processing" training, which primarily trains visual awareness. For example, you have to discover an object in the middle of a screen in front of a restless background and at the same time notice another in the peripheral area of the field of view. That sounds difficult at first, but the longer you train, the easier the task becomes.
To check how this memory training affects the thinking organ and everyday life, scientists working with Jerri Edwards from the University of South Florida and colleagues evaluated more than 50 studies that examined the "speed of processing".
In addition, they carried out their own study: To this end, they divided 2,832 test subjects between 65 and 94 years of age into four groups. Group one completed a “speed of processing” training, groups two and three other brain training sessions, and the control group received no special memory training.
The training took place in ten sessions within five weeks. After one or three years, the test subjects were able to take part in further training units. Over a period of ten years, the researchers regularly checked the subjects' memory performance.
Halved risk of dementia
The result: Only the "Speed of Processing" training reduced the risk of dementia among seniors - and significantly. Those who had completed at least ten brain jogging sessions reduced their likelihood of developing dementia by 48 percent compared to the control group.
Everyday performance could also be improved through the "Speed of Processing" training: For example, the graduates of this brain jogging were generally more attentive and more responsive when driving. “Some brain exercises work and some don't,” concludes Edwards.
Controversial computer training
Nevertheless, the usefulness of memory training on the computer such as the "speed of processing" is controversial among experts. The objection: You would get better with the tests themselves, but the overall intelligence or brain performance could not be increased. In a study with more than 11,000 participants, British scientists found that they were able to remember numbers or characters better after computer training, but that did not help them in everyday life. The neuroscientist Lutz Jäncke from the Chair of Neuropsychology at the University of Zurich therefore recommends learning a language or a musical instrument rather than sitting in front of the computer.
If you really want to do something for the fitness of your brain, you can also rely on two other factors that have been proven to help: physical exercise and social contacts.
Source:
American Psychological Association press release: Brain training reduces dementia risk across 10 years, August 4, 2016.
