A New Study Says These Hobbies May Lower Dementia Risk

Staying intellectually stimulated could pay off in a big way by helping your brain stay sharper for longer, according to a study in Neurology. In fact, the study found individuals with highest amount of lifelong learning had a 38% reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, the most common type of dementia, and a 36% lower chance of experiencing mild cognitive decline, compared with those who had the lowest amount of lifetime learning.

“In our research, we found people who continued throughout their lives to engage with cognitive enriching activities, had a slower rate of age-related cognitive decline than those who didn’t participate as much in these types of activities,” says the study’s lead author Andrea Zammit, PhD, a neuropsychologist and an assistant professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

While the study didn’t definitively prove lifelong learning decreases the risk of Alzheimer’s and mild cognitive decline, it does show a promising association, and offers a distinct perspective into the benefits of brain stimulation through learning. “There have been studies looking into either childhood or late-life activities, or education in itself, but what makes this different is we took the whole life course approach rather than just looking at one period of time in life,” Zammit explains.

Here’s more of what the researchers uncovered about how continuous learning can help protect your cognitive function well into your golden years.

How learning can help make your brain more resilient

There’s a multitude of existing research linking certain lifestyle habits and behaviors with higher levels of cognition, particularly in old age. For instance, social engagement, eating a healthy diet, and regular physical activity are all associated with better brain health and a slower rate of decline when it comes to dementia and cognitive impairment, notes Zammit.

You can also add learning to that list. Not only can stimulating your mind make you smarter and give you more cocktail party fodder, it physically changes the brain in a good way. How? Taking in knowledge and challenging your brain helps bolster neural circuits, which are information pathways connecting neurons, or nerve cells, to other neurons. And, the more you engage in meaningful mental stimulating activities, the stronger these pathways become.

“Cognitive enrichment helps the brain build cognitive reserve. This means the brain can handle more wear and tear before symptoms appear,” says Zammit. “If you think of it like a road system, reserve allows your brain to develop some ‘backup routes,’ allowing it to work and function well even if some areas are affected.” She likens it to coming up against a traffic roadblock, and having alternate ways to get to your destination.

Even if later on you do go on to develop some symptoms of dementia or cognitive impairment, the effect of lifelong learning could mean your symptoms will appear later or progress at a slower rate, Zammit adds.

What the study found

To get a greater understanding of the effects of lifelong cognitive enrichment, the researchers looked at 1,939 adults from an ongoing Rush University longitudinal study that began in 1997. The average age of the study subjects was 80 years old and they did not have dementia. Study participants were followed for an average of eight years and all had agreed to a yearly detailed clinical evaluation. They also had to provide written informed consent to donate their brain at the time of death.

Each person was given a survey to fill out outlining their specific path when it came to continued learning. In their self-assessments, they were asked to report on their level of cognitive enrichment during three stages of life, childhood, midlife, and late life. Childhood questions included whether they had been read to as a child, learned a foreign language, and had access to resources such as encyclopedias, atlases and libraries.

When it came to middle age learning assessments, individuals answered whether they subscribed to a newspaper or magazines, read books, had a library card, and frequented museums. Later in life, the survey asked about their participation in intellectually stimulating activities such as reading, writing, playing board games, and solving puzzles.

The researchers examined the data and analyzed the participants’ sustained learning over time. Along with finding the people in top percentile of having higher lifelong enrichment having a 38% reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and 36% less likelihood of experiencing mild cognitive decline, the study also found of the top lifelong learners who did develop Alzheimer’s dementia, it was five years later, and for those who experienced mild cognitive decline, it was seven years later than the group with the lowest amount of lifetime learning.

Another surprising finding came from examining the brains of those participants who passed away during the course of the study. “We found that people who engaged in more cognitive enrichment had a slower rate of cognitive decline even after accounting for common pathologies in the brain, including amyloid plaques and tau tangles, the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease,” reports Zammit. “This means that even if an individual has some brain changes due to Alzheimer’s disease or a related disorder, cognitive enrichment may provide a bit of a buffer.”

The takeaway

The study results suggest that better brain health in later life is, in part, the product of lifetime exposure to cognitive enrichment, says Zammit. “We think these activities may build stronger, more efficient networks in the brain that can help make it more adaptable and resilient.” She also points out these mentally stimulating activities may be a great way to delay, or possibly offset symptoms of Alzheimer’s.

“Cognitive impairment is one of the most feared aspects of aging, and while there is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s, nearly half of all dementia cases could be prevented or delayed by lifestyle changes,” Zammit says. “It’s important for us to continue finding modifiable risk factors that offer people practical ways to maintain their cognitive health as they age.”

If you’ve slacked off a little when it comes to keeping your brain intellectually stimulated, it doesn’t mean you can’t kick it up a notch now. After all, it’s never too late to start reading, learning a foreign language, writing that novel, or start tackling that daily crossword puzzle.

“The key is to commit to keeping the brain sharp by choosing meaningful, stimulating activities you enjoy and will continue doing, even if you pick these things up in midlife or late life,” says Zammit.

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