Brain training might be pivotal in preventing Alzheimer's

Daily brain training might play a key role in preventing or delaying the development and symptoms (once diagnosed) of neurodegenerative diseases. The Neurology Department at Hospital Sant Joan de Déu Sant Boi is leveraging World Alzheimer's Day to promote and recommend daily activities which stimulate the brain.

In the clinical setting, Dr Antoni Callén, head of the Neurology Department at Hospital Sant Joan de Déu Sant Boi, has found that cognitive training is highly effective in people with Alzheimer's disease. It is not a cure for the disease, which has yet to be discovered, but does contribute to the important task of neurological connection. Today, however, this training can only be recommended: "Unfortunately, in our practice we can't prescribe cognitive stimulation activities, which have no contraindications, but if they were done, they would be beneficial," he says.

This training, which also helps to control behavioural changes typical of neurological disorders, is included in the therapy provided in nursing homes, day hospitals or as a workshop in community centres or social clubs. However, it can also be done for free for 30 or 45 minutes a day using digital cognitive stimulation workbooks produced by organisations working with people with Alzheimer's or health sector businesses, with board games (Memory, dominoes, cards, etc.), daily reading or music therapy.

Equating cognitive training with physical exercise

This recommendation also applies to the public at large. Dr Callén argues that this type of exercise is not only important for people with cognitive impairment but should also be taken up by everyone else as a way to help prevent neurodegenerative diseases. "Just as we recommend daily physical exercise, we also need to do intellectual exercise at the same level, especially in the case of workers whose jobs involve low cognitive stimulation or are highly specialised in a single subject, and also after retirement,” he points out. Apart from board games, reading and music, doing exercises such as word searches, Sudoku and crosswords are also good choices for getting the brain working.

Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia in older people. It is a progressive and degenerative disorder of brain cells which leads to deterioration in the memory, thinking and behaviour of the person affected. It additionally diminishes intellectual functions, hinders the learning of new concepts and interferes with the ability to perform everyday tasks, entailing a high degree of dependency.

Figures from the Ministry of Health show that in Catalonia, 2% of the population over the age of 59 has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, which translates into 41,600 people with an average age of 82.