It's 'too early' to confirm benefits of active brains

It is premature to confirm that keeping brain's active will help to ward off dementia.

That is the opinion of the Alzheimer's Society, commenting on a study at the University of California that claims stimulating activities reduce levels of beta-amyloid in the brain, which are a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease.

A spokesperson from the Alzheimer's Society explained: "The research involved only a very small number of people and we do not know if they went on to develop dementia."

Scientist analysed a tiny volunteer sample of 65 healthy older adults, as well as ten patients with Alzheimer's disease and 11 younger people in the control group.

Consequently, it is "too early" to determine if keeping brains active, through activities like reading and writing, will reduce the risk of developing dementia or "how this might work".

The Alzheimer's Society's statements follow research claiming that brain training computer games can quickly improve cognitive function.

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