Cognitive activity may curb Alzheimer's risk

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Doing crossword puzzles and other activities to keep your mind active in old age appears to reduce the risk of mild cognitive impairment, dementia and the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, Illinois-based researchers report based on a study they conducted.

Moreover, study chief Dr. Robert S. Wilson told Reuters Health that, "we showed that cognitive activity in old age was associated with these good outcomes even after controlling for level of cognitive activity and socioeconomic advantage prior to old age."

This was also true, he added, after controlling for "levels of social and physical activity in old age, supporting the idea that it is late-life cognitive activity that is protective rather than something else related to it."

"Overall," Wilson said, "the results suggest that cognitively stimulating activities, such as reading a magazine, visiting a library, or writing a letter, are very important for maintaining cognitive ability in old age."

Wilson and colleagues at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago followed 700 old people evaluated yearly for up to 5 years. The brains of those died were examined at autopsy.

They report in the journal Neurology that 90 people developed Alzheimer's disease during follow-up, and more frequent participation in cognitive activity was associated with a 42 percent lower incidence of Alzheimer's disease.

Frequent cognitive activity was also associated with a reduced incidence of mild cognitive impairment and a less rapid decline in cognitive function.

However, in the 102 patients who died and had brain autopsy, no relationship was found between the level of cognitive activity and the buildup of protein called amyloid beta in the brain, a characteristic of Alzheimer's disease

SOURCE: Neurology November 13, 2007.