From tackling puzzles and brain games to finally taking those French lessons or joining a book club, the small everyday ways we use our brains could have a powerful impact on how well they age.
New research suggests one specific type of brain-training exercise may help lower the risk of developing dementia.
The study, published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions, followed nearly 3000 adults aged 65 and over for more than 20 years. Participants were assigned to one of four groups: speed-of-processing training, memory training, reasoning training, or no training at all.
The results showed that people who completed speed-of-processing training – a fast-paced computer game that asked players to quickly identify objects on a screen and respond – and returned for additional “booster” sessions over the following three years had a 25 per cent lower risk of dementia.
Those who skipped the booster sessions saw no benefit, and neither did people in the memory or reasoning training groups.
“We now have a gold-standard study that tells us there is something we can do to reduce our risk for dementia,” says study author Marilyn Albert, professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Why keeping your mind active protects your brain
It’s not just brain-training game that make a difference – everyday mental stimulation matters too.
A study published in the journal Neurology found that people who keep their minds active across life through activities like reading, writing and learning a language were substantially less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease or mild cognitive impairment.
The research, highlighted by the American Academy of Neurology, followed 1,939 adults with an average age of 80 who did not have dementia at the start of the eight-year study.
Participants completed detailed surveys about their engagement in intellectually stimulating activities across three life stages, including childhood access to books and newspapers, mid-life engagement with magazines, libraries and museums, and later-life reading, writing and mentally engaging games.
Researchers found that those in the top 10 per cent for lifelong cognitive enrichment were significantly less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease compared with those in the bottom 10 per cent.
After adjusting for factors such as age, sex and education, higher lifelong cognitive engagement was associated with a 38 per cent lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease and a 36 per cent lower risk of mild cognitive impairment.
People with the highest enrichment developed Alzheimer’s around age 94 on average – more than five years later than those with the lowest enrichment – and mild cognitive impairment around seven years later.
Lead study author Dr Andrea Zammit of Rush University Medical Centre in Chicago said the results support the idea that “cognitive health in later life is strongly influenced by lifelong exposure to intellectually stimulating environments.”
“Our findings are encouraging, suggesting that consistently engaging in a variety of mentally stimulating activities throughout life may make a difference in cognition,” Dr Zammit said. “Public investments that expand access to enriching environments, like libraries and early education programs designed to spark a lifelong love of learning, may help reduce the incidence of dementia.”
While the study shows a strong association, it does not prove that mental activity itself prevents dementia. However, it adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting lifestyle factors play an important role in brain health. Previous research estimates that up to 40 per cent of dementia risk may be linked to modifiable factors such as physical inactivity, smoking, hearing loss and social isolation.
Now our leading cause of death, it’s estimated that around 446,500 Australians were living with dementia in 2026, with numbers projected to more than double to over one million by 2065.
Rates increase sharply with age: about one in 12 Australians aged 65 and over lives with dementia, rising to nearly two in five people aged 90 and over. Prevalence is also three to five times higher among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Experts stress that dementia is not an inevitable part of ageing, and that raising awareness of modifiable risk factors is critical.
Alongside keeping active, staying socially connected, and looking after heart health, being mentally engaged – whether through reading, creative pursuits, puzzles, or learning something new – is increasingly viewed as best practice for protecting our brains.
