(Newser)
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Doing crossword puzzles may delay the slide into forgetfulness associated with dementia, a study shows. Researchers monitored the frequency with which a group of elderly subjects engaged in reading, writing, group discussions, playing music, playing cards, and doing crossword puzzles, and found that those who developed dementia took part in just one of the activities per day on average, Reuters reports.
But for every activity a subject performed, the start of rapid memory loss was delayed 0.18 years. And “the point of accelerated decline was delayed by 1.29 years for the person who participated in 11 activities per week compared to the person who participated in only four activities per week,” said a researcher.
