![\"Dementia](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/2885190.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nMCI is a state that lies somewhere between normal cognition and dementia. It is characterized by forgetfulness and other forms of cognitive decline that do not interfere dramatically with daily life. An example often used to illustrate the difference between MCI and normal cognition is that the inability to remember what one had for dinner the night before (standard age-related forgetfulness) versus the inability to remember having eaten dinner at all (MCI).<\/p>\n
If left unchecked MCI can progress to dementia, but proper treatment increases the chances of delaying dementia onset, or even restoring cognitive function. Receiving particular attention at the moment is a dual-task training technique called \u201ccognicise\u201d\u2014a combination of \u201ccognition\u201d and \u201cexercise\u201d\u2014that aims to cultivate cognitive function through physical movement.<\/p>\n
Tsurukawa Sanatorium Hospital, in the Tokyo city of Machida, is designated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government as a general hospital specializing in dementia care. The hospital opened Asmo\u2014its dedicated MCI training studio\u2014in April 2022. The studio currently hosts three-hour classes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.<\/p>\n I visited Asmo one day in early August, sitting in on a session attended by 12 elderly men and women. After a thorough warmup, it was time for cognicise, an aerobic regimen that aims to link mental and physical activity. The therapist might make a rule that associates stepping with numbers, where \u201cone\u201d means \u201cstep forward,\u201d \u201ctwo\u201d means \u201cstep back,\u201d \u201cthree\u201d means \u201cstep right,\u201d and \u201cfour\u201d means \u201cstep left,\u201d for example. Most participants are able to follow occupational therapist Matsuo Ry\u014dsuke\u2019s instructions, even when he says the numbers in random order.<\/p>\n Next, Matsuo increases the difficulty of the exercise by calling out equations: \u201c2 plus 2,\u201d \u201c10 minus 6,\u201d \u201c99 minus 97.\u201d When he eventually gets to four-digit subtractions like \u201c9,998 minus 9,995,\u201d some participants become slow to respond, make mistakes, or even lose their balance, unsure of what step they are supposed to make. Battling the frustration of not being able to perform the task correctly, they give their all to trying to get the steps right.<\/p>\n Matsuo says that the linking of mental and physical activity is believed to heighten cognitive function. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter if you can\u2019t follow the instruction immediately. The mere act of attempting to follow instructions stimulates the brain,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n At the end of the month, the studio holds individual consultations to assess participants\u2019 cognitive function. Matsuo says that most participants are able to return to their normal lives or start doing things that they enjoy again.<\/p>\n According to data published by National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, between 5% and 15% of people with MCI progress to dementia each year. While clinicians are unable to make definite claims about the treatment, Asmo appears to halt this decline and improve cognitive function.<\/p>\n The Means for Motivation<\/p>\n \u014ctake Fumi (an assumed name), who is in her eighties, has been attending Asmo at the advice of family members for three years. \u201cThe biggest change is that I have become motivated. When I see old friends, they are surprised by how well I look,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n \u014ctake says that when she first started going to the classes, she had no motivation at all. \u201cOne day I just didn\u2019t want to do anything anymore. I used to love films and theater, but I completely stopped going,\u201d she recalls. The death of her husband a few years before might have had something to do with it. Initially, she often skipped classes and was always thinking of excuses not to come, she says. However, her will returned progressively.<\/p>\n \u201cThey promised me that it would work, and it has, albeit gradually. The young therapists are so dedicated that I feel that I have to give it my all,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Komatsu Hiroyuki, the director of the hospital\u2019s dementia treatment center, says that cognicise creates new connections in the brain between regions involved in physical movement and cognition, thereby cultivating parts of the brain that are still healthy. He believes that this compensates for decline in other areas of the brain.<\/p>\n Causes of MCI<\/p>\n So just what causes MCI? Komatsu says that the condition can manifest as a result of many different causes, including disruption to the daily routine, excessive alcohol consumption, and overeating. He says that patients can regain normal function by making changes to their lifestyle and use cognicise or similar techniques to address temporary declines in cognitive function.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>
Occupational therapist Matsuo Ry\u014dsuke. (\u00a9\u00a0Mochida J\u014dji)<\/p>\n<\/a>
Training at the Asmo center. (Courtesy Tsurukawa Sanatorium Hospital)<\/p>\n