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esearchers found that using a
computer, playing games, and participating in social activities may reduce the
risk of mild cognitive impairment.
New
research suggests that playing games, using a computer, and having a rich
social life can keep mild cognitive impairment at bay.
Our
brains go through changes as we get older, and some people may experience
issues with memory, thinking, or judgment.
Mild
cognitive impairment (MCI) is the stage between age-related cognitive decline
and dementia — however,
MCI does not significantly affect daily life and activities.
People
with MCI tend to forget things, lose their train of thought or the thread of
conversations, and feel overwhelmed by making decisions. According to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 16 million people in the United States are living with
cognitive impairment.
MCI
may increase the risk of dementia, but not everyone with MCI goes on to develop
the condition. To date, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have not
approved any treatments specifically for MCI.
Lifestyle
choices such as physical exercise and intellectual stimulation have positive
effects on the brain. In recent years, researchers have been conducting more
studies to find treatments that may prevent cognitive decline.
Stimulating activities promote brain health
A
new study found that using a computer, playing games, crafting, and participating
in social activities may reduce the risk of MCI. The results appear in Neurology, the medical
journal of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN).
"Our
study took a close look at how often people participated in mentally
stimulating activities in both middle age and later life, with a goal of
examining when such activities may be most beneficial to the brain," says
study author and AAN member Dr. Yonas E. Geda, of the Mayo Clinic in
Scottsdale, AZ.
The
researchers recruited 2,000 people in their late 70s without MCI and asked them
to fill out a questionnaire about how often they engaged in different types of
mentally stimulating activity both in their 50s and 60s and in later life.
Participants
underwent thinking and memory tests every 15 months, and the researchers
monitored them for an average of 5 years. During this period, 532 people
developed MCI.
Of
these participants, only 15 used a computer in middle age. In comparison, 77 of
the 1,468 participants without MCI used a computer during the same life stage.
Overall,
each different type of mentally stimulating activity showed positive effects on
brain health:
·
Computer use in middle age and later
life lowered the risk of MCI by 37%.
·
Engaging in social activities, doing
crosswords, or playing cards in middle age and later life reduced the risk of
MCI by 20%.
·
Craft activities lowered the risk of
MCI by 42%, but only in later life.
The more mental activities, the better
The
researchers found that the number of mentally stimulating activities also
played a role in the risk of developing MCI. Among the people who participated
in the study, those who engaged in two or more activities saw greater benefits,
as follows:
Those
who participated in two or three activities were 28% and 45% respectively less
likely to develop MCI compared with those who did not do any activities.
Taking part in four or five activities reduced the
risk of developing MCI by 56% and 43% respectively.
The
study benefited from a large number of participants, but the researchers
caution that the results are based only on each individual's recollections
about their participation in mentally stimulating activities in middle age.
More research is necessary to confirm the findings.
"Our
study was observational, so it is important to point out that while we found
links between a lower risk of developing [MCI] and various mentally stimulating
activities, it is possible that instead of the activities lowering a person's
risk, a person with [MCI] may not be able to participate in these activities as
often," Geda concludes.
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