Reading, Writing, Brain Stimulation Keeps Dementia and Alzheimer's at Bay

People who participated in mentally
stimulating activities both early and late in life had a slower rate of
decline in memory compared to those who did not participate in such
activities across their lifetime, after adjusting for differing levels
of plaques and tangles in the brain. Mental activity accounted for
nearly 15 percent of the difference in decline beyond what is explained
by plaques and tangles in the brain.

The study found that the rate of decline was reduced by 32 percent in
people with frequent mental activity in late life, compared to people
with average mental activity, while the rate of decline of those with
infrequent activity was 48 percent faster than those with average
activity.

“Our study suggests that exercising your brain by taking part in
activities such as these across a person’s lifetime, from childhood
through old age, is important for brain health in old age,” said study
author Robert S. Wilson, PhD, with Rush University Medical Center in
Chicago.




“Based on this, we shouldn’t underestimate the effects of everyday
activities, such as reading and writing, on our children, ourselves and
our parents or grandparents,” said Wilson.

Source: Science Daily