They’re over 90 years old. They play Bridge “for blood.” They drink Red Bull. And they’re totally lucid. It’s no wonder that scientists are flocking to a retirement community called Laguna Hills to try to find clues about dementia-free aging.
“These are the most successful agers on earth, and they’re only just beginning to teach us what’s important, in their genes, in their routines, in their lives,” said Dr. Claudia Kawas, a neurologist at the University of California, Irvine. “We think, for example, that it’s very important to use your brain, to keep challenging your mind, but all mental activities may not be equal. We’re seeing some evidence that a social component may be crucial.”
…Such studies can take years to bear fruit, and the results of this study are starting to alter the way scientists understand the aging brain. The evidence suggests that people who spend long stretches of their days, three hours and more, engrossed in some mental activities like cards may be at reduced risk of developing dementia. Researchers are trying to tease apart cause from effect: Are they active because they are sharp, or sharp because they are active?
You can forget Bridge as a way for the next generations fend off dementia. We can barely concentrate long enough to finish reading a Tweet. It will be interesting to see if the new, virtual connectedness helps or hurts the brain over the long run.
