Can Crosswords Delay Memory Loss?
Last month, coffee lovers rejoiced when studies came out indicating that a daily dose of caffeine may help cut down on the buildup of protein on the brain that causes Alzheimer’s. Now, devotees of crossword puzzles, card games, and other brain-tickling activities can be glad. Reuters reports that a new study by New York’s Albert Einsten College of Medicine followed 488 healthy people between the ages of 75 to 85 for five years, tracking their mental decline and their daily participation in six different activities: doing crossword puzzles, reading, writing, playing board or card games, playing music, and having group discussions. The researchers discovered that for each additional mentally stimulating activity that their subjects did on a daily basis, accelerated memory loss was delayed by approximately 2 months. Those who participated in 11 activities a week were able to stave off the point of no return (so to speak) for 1.29 years longer than those who only engaged in 4 activities a week.
Here are some great online resources (all free) that we recommend for exercising your brain:
Weekly puzzles from the NY Times Crossword’s archives
Online Sudoku puzzles (also from the NY Times)
MSN games online: Bridge, Hearts, Texas Hold’Em, TextTwist
Facebook’s Scrabble and Chess Applications
Orisinal’s series of beautifully animated online games
Starting a blog through LiveJournal, WordPress, or Blogger
Participating in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)
Checking out a book from the NEA’s The Big Read list
Reading the poem of the day at Poetry Daily
Following The Two-Way, NPR’s news blog
Reading about, or creating articles for, unusual locations at Atlas Obscura
Solving a Virtual Rubik’s Cube. (Need help? Check out this tutorial by one-time world record holder Leyan Lo)
Learning to play a new instrument by searching for video tutorials on YouTube
Filed under: Boomers • Diet and Fitness • Fun
