It’s an almost universal fear: What will happen if you begin to notice cognitive decline in yourself? Perhaps you start to forget a few names or places. Or maybe it takes you a little longer to do some simple calculations. Or what if you’ve forgotten an event that a friend mentions? Do worries like this keep you up at night? Do you get anxious wondering how you can prevent a full-blown slide into dementia? While these sorts of momentary lapses do not necessarily signal worse things to come (just one of many myths that have taken hold about dementia) there are nonetheless ways you can be proactive to keep your mind young and vital before anything more dire arises.

In a new study published in The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, researchers report that even in adults who have experienced early cognitive decline, changes in diet and activities- essentially easily adaptable lifestyle changes- can help their brains “bounce back” and lessen the risk of further decline. Specifically for this research, participants engaged in such practical strategies as meeting with a dietician and altering their diets, upping their level of physical activity, and completing brain training exercises. These changes led to significant cognitive improvement- with one caveat. The lifestyle changes need to be maintained in order to continue to see cognitive benefits. While this was a small study and more research is needed, the implications are important and easy to adapt. So eat like your a Mediterranean, continue to exercise, and train your brain by clicking here.

And speaking of brain training, a recent report in Nature highlights the value for older adults in engaging with commercial computerized games. Looking at people without cognitive impairment, the researchers found that these games are effective in improving such skills as working memory and executive function. As well, the NIH recently described research by the NIA that video games such as Super Mario may provide the kind of novel experience and stimulation valuable in improving such cognitive functions as memory. In this NIA research, adults ages 60-80 engaged in 3 different video games 30-45 minutes/day for 4 weeks and subsequently demonstrated improved memory. So take out your controller, boot up your computer and find some computer games of interest to you here and here.