Brain‑Speed Games Cut Dementia Risk by a Quarter

A long study followed almost 3, 000 older adults for twenty years. Only one type of brain exercise stood out: “speed training. ” These games asked participants to spot and move on visual clues quickly. Those who did the initial five‑week program and then had refresher sessions at about one year and three years later were 25 % less likely to get dementia. If they stopped after the first run‑through, the benefit disappeared. The research used Medicare records to track diagnoses. Less than 24 hours of total training could protect people well into their eighties and nineties.Why did speed help? Researchers think it taps “implicit” learning—skills that become automatic. Memory and reasoning drills rely on “explicit” learning, which may fade with age. The study was the first to show a 20‑year link between brain training and dementia risk. It adds to earlier findings that speed training also improves daily thinking for up to ten years. Other healthy habits, like keeping blood pressure and cholesterol in check and exercising regularly, also lower dementia risk. Combining these with speed training might give even stronger protection, but more research is needed.