Intellectual Stimulation Works as a Powerful Prevention Technique Against Dementia

Keep your brain busy and it just might thank you.

A recent study published in JAMA Neurology found that seniors who regularly "exercised" their brains with learning exercises staved off the risks of cognitive decline for longer periods, regardless of their educational level or occupational activities.

"In terms of preventing cognitive [mental] impairment, education and occupation are important," said study lead author Prashanthi Vemuri, an assistant professor of radiology at the Mayo Clinic and Foundation in Rochester, Minn., via Philly. "But so is intellectually stimulating activity during mid- to late life. This is very encouraging news, because even if you don't have a lot of education, or get exposure to a lot of intellectual stimulation during non-leisure activity, intellectual leisure activity later in life can really help."

For the study, researchers recruited about 2,000 participants between the ages of 70 and 89 who were part of the Mayo Clinic aging study that took place from 2004 to 2009. Of the sample, about 1,700 were considered "cognitively normal" while 300 suffered from "mild cognitive impairment."

Besides this data, researchers also studied the participants' educational level and occupational activities, and had them fill out questionnaires about common intellectual stimulation.

When comparing participants' cognitive health, researchers found that those with the APOE gene, which can increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease, had lower cognitive function than other participants. Those with less education, older individuals and men were more likely to deal with decreased cognitive function.

On the other hand, when researchers examined participants' lifetime intellectual engagement, which included education, occupation and brain stimulation, they discovered that those with the highest levels had delayed dementia by up to nine years, regardless of the APOE gene.  

Still, keeping the brain busy, regardless of profession or educational background, could help reduce the risks of cognitive decline, overall. 

"It turns out that even if you don't have a lifetime of educational and occupational development, intellectual activity in later life can really help -- perhaps delaying cognitive impairment by at least three years," Vemuri said.