Yes, you can train your brain to diminish the risk of dementia

Dementia is a one of the many chronic health conditions that our late former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had been suffering from. The risk of this cognitive disorder can be reduced if your brain is trained to process information faster.

By: Saswati Sarkar | | Updated: August 16, 2018 7:08 pm

People suffering from acute kidney injury are at a risk of dementia. © Shutterstock

Dementia, a set of quite a few geriatric cognitive disorders including memory loss, has not found a cure yet. So, it’s no surprise that our late former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had been grappling with the condition for long. However, the findings of a recent study come with a ray of hope for dementia. According to this 10-year-long study published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia, a specific type of brain training can actually protect you from dementia. Known as Speed Processing, this training modality has been found to reduce the risk of dementia by 29 per cent. Also Read - Post-traumatic stress disorder: You eyes can reveal your past traumatic experiences

What is Speed Processing All About?
The training involves speedy processing of data and expansion of your field of view. Field of view is your capacity to observe details in your straight and peripheral vision. In this training an individual gets very brief glimpses of objects like cars or trucks on a screen and is asked to take note of them quickly. As you get better at the game, make the glimpses shorter and add distractions to make it more challenging. According to study author Dr. Jerri Edwards, an expert in behavioural neurosciences, if you play this brain training game for one hour thrice a week, your risk of dementia will be reduced significantly. Yes, you can play it now on your mobile, thanks to the app BrainHQ by Posit Science. It can be downloaded for free. Also Read - Quarantine can affect mental health: Centre tells states to spread awareness about depression, anxiety

How does this brain training game help?
This sort of a brain training game targets very specific cerebral and cognitive skills that wane with age. These skills include grasping and quickly reacting to unique information. It can also bolster the brain’s default mode network, a group of interconnected brain regions that regulate your memory and emotion. Also Read - Sushant Singh Rajput hangs himself to death: Spot the signs of suicidal thoughts in your loved ones

However, research on the role of brain games in cutting down your risk of dementia is still at a nascent stage. There are more studies that prove the effectiveness of exercises and meditation in decreasing your risk of dementia by up to 50 per cent. So, start exercising from today, if you haven’t already.

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Published : August 16, 2018 5:06 pm | Updated:August 16, 2018 7:08 pm

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