This form of mental exercise may cut dementia risk for decades

"That's the conclusion of a study of older adults who participated in a cognitive exercise experiment in the 1990s that was designed to increase the brain's processing speed. The federally funded study of 2,802 people found that those who did eight to 10 roughly hourlong sessions of cognitive speed training, as well as at least one booster session, were about 25% less likely to be diagnosed with dementia over the next two decades."

"So Kovach signed up for an online program called BrainHQ, which includes the same speed exercises used in the study. "I think I've done over 1,300 [sessions] of BrainHQ exercises," Kovach says. "These things are hard, but you do get better at it," he says. "I look at it like doing sit-ups." Kovach also does sit-ups, as well as high-intensity aerobic workouts on his bike an activity shown to promote healthy brain aging."

A federally funded trial enrolled 2,802 older adults in the 1990s to test processing-speed cognitive exercises. Participants who completed eight to ten roughly hourlong sessions and at least one booster were about 25% less likely to receive a dementia diagnosis over the next 20 years. The effect persisted two decades after training and has been described as a gold-standard, long-lasting result. Online programs such as BrainHQ use the same speed exercises. Individuals who practiced extensively and combined training with aerobic exercise, strength work, and a heart-healthy diet reported improved mental functioning and perceived better brain health.

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