Summary: Results from the long-term ACTIVE study reveal that a specific type of cognitive exercise can significantly reduce the risk of dementia for up to two decades. The study, which followed nearly 3,000 older adults for 20 years, found that those who participated in “speed of processing” training—exercises designed to sharpen visual attention and reaction time—were 25% less likely to be diagnosed with dementia compared to a control group.
Remarkably, this benefit was only seen in participants who received “booster” sessions following their initial five-week program. While speed training showed lasting neuroprotective effects, traditional memory and reasoning exercises did not significantly reduce dementia incidence, highlighting the unique impact of training the brain’s processing speed.
Key Facts
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