A long-term U.S. Study evaluating brain training revealed that participants had up to a 25 percent reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease 20 years later. Two types of exercises were found to be particularly effective.
The number of people affected by Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia continued to rise in Germany in 2025. Approximately 1.8 million people currently live with a dementia diagnosis. Globally, scientists are researching strategies that could protect against the development of these conditions, a growing public health concern.
A team of researchers recently published novel findings indicating that brain training may aid protect against Alzheimer’s and related dementias. Specifically, cognitive speed training demonstrated a protective effect on the brain. Participants in the study who engaged in this type of mental exercise had a 25 percent lower likelihood of developing dementia.
The results were recently published in the journal “Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Translational Research and Clinical Interventions”. The investigation involved nearly 3,000 participants who completed ten brain training sessions over a six-week period. Some participants were randomly selected to receive refresher training eleven and 35 months after the initial training.
“Our participants were between 65 and 94 years traditional at enrollment,” said Michael Marsiske, a study co-author, in a statement. “We did not find a substantial reduction in the benefit of training with increasing age, suggesting that training can be started at any time.”
Different Tasks for the Brain
Each session lasted between 60 and 75 minutes. Participants were divided into four groups, each completing training with different focuses. The first group trained processing speed, requiring them to understand increasingly complex information within a short timeframe. The exercises challenged participants and adjusted to their progress with each session. Researchers suggest this type of speed training can physically change the brain and create new connections between brain networks.
The second group focused on what’s known as “verbal episodic memory,” the part of the brain that stores and recalls personal experiences, often linking memories to emotions. During training, participants practiced memory strategies to help anchor information in long-term memory.
A third group trained logical thinking, completing exercises that required them to recognize patterns, relationships, and logical sequences in visual or numerical data. A fourth group served as a control group.
Certain training types proved particularly effective. Improvements were immediately apparent after the exercises, especially with speed training (87 percent), memory training (26 percent), and logical thinking training (74 percent). The study indicated that speed and logical thinking training showed lasting effects, with improvements sustained for up to ten years.
After five years, participants reported fewer difficulties with everyday tasks such as cooking, taking medication, and managing finances.
During the 20-year follow-up – with most surviving participants now over 90 years old – researchers reviewed participants’ medical records to determine how many had developed dementia. Participants in the speed training group had reduced their risk of dementia by a quarter compared to the control group.
