Mental challenges ‘can aid healthy brain ageing’

People may be able to keep their brains healthier for longer by taking part in mentally challenging activities, according to a new study.

Research from the University of Texas at Dallas has indicated that tasks involving sustained mental effort and challenge could facilitate cognitive function, after assessing the principle among a group of 39 older adults.

One group spent at least 15 hours per week for 14 weeks learning progressively more difficult skills in digital photography, quilting or a combination of both, while a low-challenge group met for 15 hours per week to socialise and take part in pursuits with no active learning aspect, such as travel and cooking with no active learning component.

It was shown that the high-challenge group demonstrated better memory performance and an increased ability to modulate brain activity more efficiently to challenging judgements of word meaning after the intervention.

This change in modulation was not observed in the low-challenge group, indicating that it was the mentally demanding activities that offered the neuroprotective benefits.

Senior author Dr Denise Park at the University of Texas at Dallas said: "Although there is much more to be learned, we are cautiously optimistic that age-related cognitive declines can be slowed or even partially restored if individuals are exposed to sustained mentally challenging experiences."