Aging affects everyone, and one of its biggest impacts is on the brain. As we grow older, our memory, focus, and attention naturally begin to decline. But new research suggests that while we can’t stop aging, we may be able to slow, or even slightly reverse, some of its effects on the brain.
Scientists have found the first compelling evidence that mental exercises can actually increase levels of a brain chemical that typically declines with age.
In a 10-week study conducted by researchers at McGill University in Montreal, adults aged 65 and older performed mental exercises for 30 minutes daily. The result: their levels of acetylcholine, a chemical messenger linked to attention and memory, rose by 2.3% in a key brain area.
“The increase is not huge,” said Étienne de Villers-Sidani, the study’s lead neurologist. “But it’s significant, considering that you get a 2.5% decrease per decade normally just with aging.”
In other words, this boost is roughly equivalent to turning back the brain’s clock by about 10 years.