A new study recently evaluated the current research on the impact of cognitive training on the healthy elderly population. It found no evidence that structured cognitive interventions or "brain exercise" programs delay or slow cognitive decline. Such programs are now an $80 million per year industry.
There has been much research on the benefits of cognitive rehabilitation strategies among those who already suffer from mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's disease, as well as on the positive impact of physical exercise. However, for this study, researchers wanted to focus on the impact of cognitive interventions in the healthy elderly population.
They found that most research on the subject was limited in methodology, and often lacked in follow-up. Based on a quantitative literature review, they concluded that there was no evidence indicating that structured cognitive intervention programs had an impact on the progression of dementia in healthy elderly populations.