Brain Workout Reduces Dementia Risk by Almost a Third
In the realm of dementia prevention research, the future is looking bright with personalized prevention plans, multi-domain intervention studies, early intervention models, next-gen tools, new cognitive targets, and the integration of AI and virtual reality.
A multi-dimensional strategy, encompassing exercise, nutrition, social interaction, sleep, stress reduction, cardiovascular health, and targeted speed training, presents the best chance of maintaining brain health. This strategy is not complex, expensive, or pharmaceutical; sometimes, the best defense is a well-timed offense—a few minutes a day training your brain's ability to process the world around you.
One such cognitive exercise, known as "speed of processing training," has shown significant potential in reducing dementia risk. This type of training is effective in improving how quickly and accurately a person can perceive, interpret, and respond to information, targeting processing speed—the time it takes the brain to manage and act upon information received from the environment.
The effectiveness of speed of processing training lies in its ability to support better cognitive function overall. Research indicates that this training improves the efficiency of neural networks responsible for attention and cognition, which can help delay or lower the risk of dementia onset. For example, a 2017 study found that individuals engaging in speed of processing training had a reduced likelihood of developing dementia.
Each intervention lasts only ten hours, broken into one-hour sessions over six weeks. Consistent practice, even 30 minutes a week, could make a difference over time. What began as an unexpected finding in a ten-hour training experiment may lead to mainstream public health policy and the first scalable, evidence-based method to prevent dementia.
Exercises should adapt to performance and increase difficulty as improvement occurs. As performance improves, the difficulty increases: the display time shortens, distractions multiplied, and the peripheral targets become harder to detect. The speed of processing training involves practicing identifying central objects on a screen while simultaneously tracking objects that briefly appear in the peripheral vision.
The study, known as the ACTIVE study, assigned participants to four groups: memory training, reasoning training, speed of processing training, and a no-intervention control group. After ten years of follow-up assessments, it was found that speed of processing training was the only approach that showed a statistically significant protection against dementia.
A significant concern is how a brief training of just ten hours could generate effects that last a decade. However, programs modeled on the ACTIVES study, like the Double Decision module from BrainHQ, are among the few that match the training protocols used in the research.
The reduction in dementia risk is based on data from a 10-year clinical study involving nearly 3,000 healthy older adults. The study's design is solid by public health standards, with a large sample size, randomized controlled setup, long-term follow-up, and clear differences between groups.
If the results are borne out in future studies, a 10% reduction in dementia risk across the population would have monumental implications. Your best mental upgrade might come from seeing more and seeing it faster. The economic toll of dementia, affecting over 50 million people globally and expected to cross $2 trillion by 2030, underscores the urgency for effective prevention strategies.
However, it's important to note that the researchers used a combination of self-reports and cognitive test thresholds to diagnose dementia, which is not as rigorous as a formal medical diagnosis. Additionally, the statistical significance of the study is close to the conventional threshold of 0.05, raising the possibility of a fluke result.
In summary, "speed of processing" training sharpens mental alertness and reaction time, which in turn can help reduce dementia risk by maintaining cognitive resilience and neural efficiency. With consistent practice, even a brief training could potentially offer long-term benefits in dementia prevention.
Mental health and wellness, alongside science, are key to finding effective methods for dementia prevention. For instance, a study focusing on 'speed of processing training' has shown potential in improving cognitive function and reducing dementia risk, especially when it comes to mental processing speed and neural efficiency.
As we move forward, the integration of this training into health-and-wellness routines during the aging process could offer a promising approach for delaying or lowering the risk of dementia onset, providing valuable benefits for healthier aging.
