Lifelong learning key to healthy aging mind
Taking up a mentally challenging hobby such as quilting or photography can help aging minds healthy.
University of Texas researchers asked 39 older adults to take up different hobbies for 14 weeks and tested their memories after that period.
Participants were randomly assigned to the high-challenge, low-challenge, or placebo groups. The high-challenge group spent at least 15 hours per week for 14 weeks learning progressively more difficult skills in digital photography, quilting, or a combination of both.
The low-challenge group met for 15 hours per week to socialize and engage in activities related to subjects such as travel and cooking with no active learning component. The placebo group engaged in low-demand cognitive tasks such as listening to music, playing simple games, or watching classic movies.
After 14 weeks, the high-challenge group had the best memory performance, and the enhanced brain activity was still present even after a year.
Senior author Denise C. Park, PhD, said their findings were some of the first scientific proof that taking mentally challenging hobbies can restore aging brains. But she clarified that larger studies are still needed.
Ian McDonough, a first author on the study, said: “The study clearly illustrates that the enhanced neural efficiency was a direct consequence of participation in a demanding learning environment. The findings superficially confirm the familiar adage regarding cognitive aging of ‘Use it or lose it.’”
