Press release from Alzheimers’ Society
Brain training found to reduce dementia risk over a 10 year period
New research has shown a scientifically tailored computer brain training program can reduce the number of cases of cognitive decline and dementia over a decade by a third. The research was presented today (Sunday 24 July) at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) held in Toronto.
The Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) study tested several types of brain training in 2,785 healthy older adults at six sites across the US. Participants either received classroom-based memory strategies, classroom-based reasoning strategies, or computer-based training for processing speed, twice a week for 10 weeks. These groups were compared to a control group that received no brain training.
All participants received cognitive tests at 1, 2, 3, 5 and 10 years after the training. After 10 years, those in the computer-based brain training group had a 33% reduction in cases of cognitive impairment or dementia compared to the control group. There was no impact of either of the classroom-based training courses on cognition after 10 years.
Dr Doug Brown, Director of Research and Development at Alzheimer’s Society said: “There is widespread excitement about the potential of brain training to protect against dementia as it’s such an accessible and enjoyable tool, but so far long term studies have been lacking. This research provides the first evidence that computer-based brain training – in this case which improves the speed that your brain can process information – could reduce the likelihood of developing dementia over a decade.
“The evidence of a real-life benefit of brain training is significant and we now need to work out how this could be turned into an approach that is widely available. However, it’s important to note that not all the brain exercises tested in this study had a positive effect on the rate of dementia, reinforcing the fact that we cannot generalise the positive findings to all brain training packages.
“In the future, as government and society explore ways to enable people to live independently as they get older, computer brain training could have a growing role to play.”
– Ends –
AAIC16 Sunday briefing Resilience Factors – see last page
Trial registration – dementia incidence was not a primary outcome
2012 ACTIVE trial paper – 5 years – no difference in dementia rates
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Stanford Centre for Longevity statement
“A single study, conducted by researchers with financial interests in the product, or one quote from a scientist advocating the product, is not enough to assume that a game has been rigorously examined. Findings need to be replicated at multiple sites, based on studies conducted by independent researchers who are funded by independent sources. Moreover, participants of training programs should show evidence of significant advantage over a comparison group that does not receive the treatment but is otherwise treated exactly the same as the trained group.
No studies have demonstrated that playing brain games cures or prevents Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia.
Do not expect that cognitively challenging activities will work like one-shot treatments or vaccines; there is little evidence that you can do something once (or even for a concentrated period) and be inoculated against the effects of aging in an enduring way. In all likelihood, gains won’t last long after you stop the challenge.”
none of the effects observed could be attributable specifically to cognitive training, as the improvements observed did not exceed the improvement in active control conditions.
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