A modest dose of mental exercise may help protect the brain for decades. A long-term study found that older adults who completed a specific type of cognitive speed training were less likely to develop dementia years later. The benefit appeared to persist even when the training was brief.
The research followed thousands of adults who took part in a federally funded cognitive training program that began in the late 1990s. Participants who completed about 10 hours of speed-based brain exercises, along with occasional refresher sessions, showed a significantly lower rate of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias when tracked through health records many years later. Other forms of cognitive training did not show the same long-lasting effect.
Speed training focuses on how quickly the brain processes information rather than memorization or logic alone. Researchers believe this type of exercise strengthens automatic mental skills in a way that endures over time. New studies are now underway to test whether longer or repeated training could further extend these protective effects.
SOURCE:
NPR, February 9, 2026