A new study, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, found that cognitive training in older adults resulted in less decline in daily living activities.  Specifically, cognitive training for reasoning and speed showed such a correlation, but memory training did not.  The study used ten training sessions for reasoning, speed, and memory at the start, with four booster sessions at 11 and 35 months after the initial training.  Ten years later, they continued to show the beneficial effects of that cognitive training.

In an analysis of the study, the Boston Globe reports that the results of the brain training suggest that it helped participants carry out everyday activities as if they were about 10 years younger, allowing someone at 80 to function more like a typical 70-year-old.  The significance of this study is that these training interventions show promise for preserving cognitive function.  Extrapolated and adapted, it means that there is the potential for either delaying dementia or mitigating its effects.

This study comes as brain games are becoming popular.  However, the brain games currently on the market involve computer exercises.  In the new study, researchers used paper-and-pencil tests that honed problem-solving involving letter and number patterns, in addition to computer drills that tested the ability to quickly distinguish an image among a constantly changing screen.  Just one computer drill used in the study is on the market, and it has been altered from the version used by researchers.

These findings, though focused on exercises intended to train the brain, coincide with existing research in this field.  A study from July 2013, published in the journal Neurology, found that increased cognitive activity across one’s life span is associated with greater cognitive functioning and decreased cognitive decline later in life.  The study found reduced cognitive decline could be attributed to cognitive activity during childhood and middle ages, but did not find an association with cognitive activity during young adult years.

Such findings are critical for changing the trend of dementia.  According to BBC News Health, new figures estimate that the number of people living with dementia will rise to 135 million by 2050, which is three times the current number at 44 million.  WebMD describes dementia as a loss of mental functions to the point where it interferes with daily functioning.   Dementia is actually a group of symptoms, not a disease on its own.  It is caused by an underlying disease or condition.  Alzheimer’s is the most common source of dementia.