Undisputed protagonists of the summer during the hours of relaxation at the seaside or in the mountains, travel companions for those who go on holiday during the long hours on trains, planes and buses, but also collective boredom chasers to have fun together. They are the puzzle games: crosswords, sudoku, riddles, puzzles. Pastimes that could have a value that goes beyond entertainment. But do they really help keep the brain healthy? The answer – on the occasion of World Brain Day – are the anti-fake news doctors of the portal ‘Doctor, but is it true that…?’, edited by Fnomceo (National Federation of Medical Orders). “These and other logical puzzles help train brain capacity during the less frenetic season of the year – they analyze – According to several scientific studies, then, solving puzzles would help keep the brain young, slowing down the effects of aging”.
“In recent years, more and more researchers have demonstrated the close relationship that exists between the quality of cognitive functions in old age and the practice of crosswords – we read in the focus dedicated to crosswords & Co – The most recent studies using data from large-scale, representative samples of the elderly population have shown that, compared to their peers who do not like crosswords, those over 50 who are passionate about this type of game score higher on tests of attention, reasoning and memory.. Other researchers have gone further, suggesting that enjoying solving crosswords, sudoku, and other logic puzzles reduces the risk of dementia.”
Why are crosswords good for the brain? “Playing crosswords requires a certain amount of effort, it stimulates critical thinking, it allows you to exercise logical reasoning and in many cases it promotes sociability – the experts explain – The cognitive stimulation that comes from this hobby, as well as from reading a novel, learning a foreign language and in general from all those activities that keep the brain trained, can increase brain resilience, that is, the brain’s ability to deal with changes that can lead to a disease, promoting communication between neurons and allowing a more efficient use of neural networks”. Science also answers those who wonder how many crosswords you should do to stay in shape: “After having followed almost 500 healthy elderly people for 5 years at the beginning of the experiment, a study by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine has shown that people over 75 who solve crosswords 4 times a week have a risk that is almost halved of getting dementia compared to those who do this type of activity once a week or more rarely”.
In general, among studies that have documented the frequency with which older people engage in puzzles, higher cognitive performance was associated with daily use of this pastime. But can we say that it is an elixir against Alzheimer’s? “Given that there are no drugs capable of preventing Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases – the doctors clarify – the conclusions reached over the years by some studies suggest the possibility that crosswords become a tool available to everyone for enhancing the brain functions of people with mild cognitive impairment”.
For example, the Harvard Medical School blog notes, in a 2022 study that investigated the alleged benefits of puzzles on a group of elderly people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, the improvements found in the cognitive and neurological worsening of the patients were comparable to the effects of a type of drug used in the treatment of less severe forms of this disease. A team of English researchers had also reached similar conclusions a few years earlier. After comparing the cognitive performance of over-50s who often play Sudoku with that of their peers who almost never do it, the researchers discovered that the improvement reported by the former was comparable to the effects of a drug used to manage the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. However, the same authors emphasize the need for controlled and long-term experiments, which are currently lacking, before drawing definitive conclusions.
The last question answered by the anti-fake news doctors portal is: Can we say that playing puzzles keeps the brain young? “Even though it might be tempting to conclude that crosswords help prevent brain aging, the scientific evidence we currently have presents some critical issues – the experts point out – First of all, even if we are talking about physiological aging, we still do not have definitive information on a possible causal relationship. Most of the studies that demonstrate the existence of a link between cognitive aging and crosswords are observational, that is, they only take a ‘snapshot’ of this relationship, while to demonstrate a correct causal inference, controlled studies are necessary. While waiting for scientific research to produce more solid evidence, nothing prevents you from taking your favorite crossword magazine to the beach. Be careful, after a few pages, to get up from the deckchair. Because, let’s not forget, even for the brain, movement is the most effective way to protect itself from the damage of advancing age”.
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