In a new study, researchers found that lifestyle changes may help to improve cognition in older adults experiencing a cognitive decline that precedes dementia.
The research was conducted by a team at the Australian National University.
In the study, 119 people older than 65 years of age who were experiencing cognitive decline were assigned to a control group or an intervention group for 8 weeks.
The control group received online information related to dementia and lifestyle risk factors, Mediterranean diet, physical activity, and cognitive engagement.
Participants were instructed to implement this information into their own lifestyles.
The intervention group received the same online information, plus active components to assist with implementing this information into their lifestyles: dietitian sessions, an exercise physiologist session, and online brain training.
Over 6 months of follow-up, the team that people in the intervention group were able to improve their lifestyle and had higher cognition scores than those in the control group.
The results suggest that lifestyle-based changes may modify the course of cognitive decline.
The team says previous research has shown that lifestyle changes such as these can reduce dementia risk in the general population.
What this study adds is that with the right intervention, people experiencing cognitive decline may retain sufficient neuroplasticity for their brain to ‘bounce back’ from decline.
One author of the study is Mitchell McMaster.
The study is published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
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