Mentally
stimulating activities such as reading and writing
throughout life can delay cognitive decline and even prevent the
clinical manifestation of memory disorders such as dementia and Alzheimer's.
For a study in the journal Neurology, researchers followed 294 people
who had annual cognitive function testing
for nearly six years until their deaths.
They also reported
on their participation in brain stimulating activities during childhood,
adolescence, middle age and old age. After death, the participants' brains were
examined by independent examiners for
evidence of physical signs of
dementia, such as brain lesions and plagues.
Those who were active throughout life had a 15 percent
slower rate of cognitive decline. People who were mentally active in late life
had a 32 per cent lower rate of mental decline than those with average
activity. Those who were least active had a 48 per cent faster mental decline.
"The brain that we
have in old age depends in part on what we habitually ask it to do in life.
What you do
during your lifetime has a great impact on the likelihood these age-related diseases are going to be expressed,"
said the study author.
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