Could the Benefits of Mental Training Last up to 10 Years in Adults?

Brain teasers and other cognitive exercises can not only be mentally-stimulating. For some of us nerds, they might actually be kind of fun. (Crossword puzzles or Sudoku, anyone?) Yet a recent study shows how certain bamboozling exercises can increase mental sharpness in older adults by up to 10 years. 

The study, known as "Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly," or ACTIVE, is the first to connect cognitive training to the benefits of everyday activities and the mental skills behind those functions.

"Previous data from this clinical trial demonstrated that the effects of the training lasted for five years," said Richard J. Hodes, M.D., director of the National Institute on Aging, via a press release. "Now, these longer term results indicate that particular types of cognitive training can provide a lasting benefit a decade later. They suggest that we should continue to pursue cognitive training as an intervention that might help maintain the mental abilities of older people so that they may remain independent and in the community."

Researchers studied 2,832 people who independently lived in Detroit, Baltimore and western Maryland, Birmingham, Ala., Indianapolis, Boston and central Pennsylvania. Participants were an average of 74-years-old at the beginning of the study, with one-quarter African-Americans and three-quarters women.

They were divided randomly into groups to receive either memory, speed or reasoning training. A separate control group received no training. The study was composed of 10 training sessions of 60 to 75 minutes throughout a period of five to six weeks. Some participants received "booster" training one and three weeks following the initial sessions.

Following 10 years, all participants reported less difficulty in conducting activities of daily living than those in the control groups. In fact, all three in the training groups saw immediate improvement versus that of the control one.

"The durability of this effect was remarkable," Dr. Unverzagt concluded, via the release.

However, he also adds that certain environmental factors contribute to the potential benefits of cognitive training-such as healthy diet and exercise.

What do you think?

More information regarding the study can be found via the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.