Pumping the neurons
Purely physical activities like pumping iron or doing housework may have health benefits, but they don't lower the risk of Alzheimer's. By contrast, reading, crossword puzzles, playing board games like chess or checkers, playing musical instruments--and even dancing--do. And the more the better. Frequent dancing, for example, which demands musical concentration and knowing where to put your feet while engaging in polite conversation, showed a robust 75 percent reduction in risk. Activities like knitting, gardening, and traveling afford similar benefits. Furthermore, cognitive activities cut risk regardless of baseline IQ or education level, suggesting that favorable brain remodeling may be caused by more-recent brain-stimulating tasks rather than some fixed wiring of the past. Proving causality, of course, is tricky.
In addition to mental exercise, other psychological factors figure into normal aging and dementia. Chronic stress, depression, and social isolation all wreak havoc with memory and add to cognitive deterioration. Chronic elevations of the hormone cortisol--which comes with both stress and depression--cause the memory center of the brain to shrink and in some cases to lose neurons in the brain's memory circuits. Indeed, this is why most aging specialists encourage patients to read more, stress out less, and have good social outlets.
So here's a prescription: a few chapters of Harry Potter, the New York Times Sunday crossword puzzle, and some ballroom dancing to relaxing music with a partner you really like. That just may be the real secret to happy retirement.
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