WASHINGTON (Dispatches) -- Mentally stimulating activities like using a computer, playing games, crafting and participating in social activities are linked to a lower risk or delay of age-related memory loss called mild cognitive impairment, and that the timing and number of these activities may also play a role, according to a new study of the American Academy of Neurology.
Researchers found that using a computer in middle-age was associated with a 48-percent lower risk of mild cognitive impairment. A total of 15 of 532 people who developed mild cognitive impairment, or 2 percent, used a computer in middle age compared to 77 of 1,468 people without mild cognitive impairment, or 5 percent. Using a computer in later life was associated with a 30-percent lower risk and using a computer in both middle-age and later life was associated with a 37-percent lower risk of developing thinking and memory problems.
Engaging in social activities, like going to movies or going out with friends, or playing games, like doing crosswords or playing cards, in both middle-age and later life were associated with a 20-percent lower risk of developing mild cognitive impairment.
Craft activities were associated with a 42-percent lower risk, but only in later life.
The more activities people engaged in during later life, the less likely they were to develop mild cognitive impairment.