An eight-week programme combining dementia education with lifestyle changes to diet, physical activity and cognitive engagement through brain boosting games can significantly improve cognitive performance and reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease among seniors with pre-dementia conditions, researchers have found.
Alzheimer’s disease is a neurological disorder which causes problems with memory, thinking skills, and behaviour and is the most common form of dementia.
The study used the BrainHQ app from Posit Science for its brain exercise component. Published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, the randomised trial assigned 119 participants over the age of 65 to either an active control group or an intervention group.
The research team found that the intervention group had a significantly larger reduction in Alzheimer’s risk — using the Australian National University Alzheimer’s Disease Risk Index — than the control group over the duration of the study. The size of the risk reduction was clinically significant, similar to the difference in Alzheimer’s risk between a person who has diabetes and one who doesn’t.
Memory loss is one of the earliest symptoms, along with a gradual decline of other intellectual and cognitive functions leading to change of behavior, RK Dhamija (Director Professor and HOD), Department of Neurology at Delhi-based Lady Hardinge Medical College said. He added that as there is no cure, it is important that one should take up reading, play brain challenging games like crosswords and Sudoku, connecting with people to keep the mind active. “Lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure should be strictly controlled.
“Since it is a neuro-degenerative disease, it is therefore important to recognise the symptoms early. Timely and regular follow-up with a neurologist along with good supportive care can minimise the suffering of these patients,” Dr Dhamija said.
Initial symptoms are memory impairment, word-finding difficulties during conservation, patients may forget their recent conversation, where they had kept their wallets, they may even forget whether they had food or not or forget bank/ATM passwords or their way to home.
Around 5 crore people are suffering with dementia and it is estimated that every year one crore people with dementia are added , said Dr Dhamija. In India, 40 lakh people are afflicted with the neurodegenerative disease.
“The Government isn’t currently prioritising their needs, since the medical system is already burdened with the responsibility of providing basic care for infectious illnesses, cardiac ailments, oncology problems etc. But the Government needs to look into this gap in geriatric care on an urgent basis,” said Joy Desai, Director of the Neurology Department at Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre, Mumbai.
