A specific type of cognitive training appears to prevent or delay dementia in approximately 25% of individuals over the age of 65, according to research published this month. The training doesn’t focus on memory or problem-solving, but rather a computer-based game designed to test the ability to recognize distinct images within rapidly presented sequences.
The study, known as ACTIVE (Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly), followed 2,802 adults aged 65 and older beginning in 1998. Participants were divided into four groups: speed of processing training (computer-based), memory training (group sessions), reasoning training (group sessions), and a control group that received no training. The speed of processing training involved identifying both a vehicle and the location of a Route 66 sign amidst distracting images, with the speed increasing as participants improved.
Initial comparisons between the training groups and the control group did not reveal statistically significant reductions in dementia risk. However, a subsequent analysis focusing on participants who completed at least one “booster” session – follow-up training months after the initial program – revealed a substantial benefit. Those who completed booster sessions in speed of processing training experienced a 25% reduction in dementia risk compared to the control group. Participants who received speed training without the booster sessions showed no improvement.
“Seeing that the increase in speed training was linked to a lower risk of dementia two decades later is remarkable,” said Dr. Marilyn Albert, director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, in a statement. The training’s adaptive nature – adjusting difficulty based on individual performance – is believed to be a key factor in its success. Unlike group classes with a standardized curriculum, the computer program continually challenged each participant at their maximum capacity, fostering implicit learning through practice and repetition.
The ACTIVE study’s findings challenge the widely held belief that any form of mental exercise is equally effective in preventing cognitive decline. Neither the memory nor the reasoning training, even with booster sessions, demonstrated a significant impact on dementia prevention. This specificity highlights the importance of targeting particular cognitive skills, such as processing speed, for preventative interventions.
Researchers caution that even as cognitive stimulation is beneficial, interventions combining exercise, nutrition, and cognitive training – as suggested by studies like FINGER – may prove more effective than cognitive training alone.