Ceilidh

Michael Zey
futurist3000@aol.com

THURSDAY, Nov. 6 (HealthDayNews) -- Reading, visiting museums and socializing with friends during early and middle adulthood may help lower your risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (news - web sites), says a study by University of Southern California (USC) and Swedish researchers

The study, which used data on twins who differed in cognitive status, is the first to examine the relationship between leisure activities and the loss of mental function.

Researchers used information on same-sex twins born in Sweden between 1886 and 1925. In the 1960s, the twins filled out questionnaires regarding their leisure activities before age 40. These activities included reading, social visits, theater, movies, gardening, sports and participation in clubs.

In the 1980s, the twins took part in clinical follow-ups. That included testing for dementia, classified as loss of cognitive function due to brain changes caused by trauma or disease.

This study focused on 107 twin pairs where one twin had some form of cognitive impairment while the other twin was cognitively intact. The study found that greater overall participation in leisure activities reduced the risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer's disease, even when education was taken into account.

The study was published in a recent issue of the Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences.

"While we have not proved the adage 'use it or lose it,' it certainly makes sense that keeping an active mind contributes to positive aging," lead author Michael Crowe, a doctoral student in psychology at USC's College of Letters, Arts & Sciences, says in a prepared statement.

"It is very important to understand that what someone does early in life can affect how that person grows old," co-author Margaret Gatz, a USC psychology professor, adds.


More research is required to learn which leisure and intellectual activities may help preserve cognitive function and why.
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