Results of the ACTIVE Study show that mental training and physical activity can help minimize cognitive declines in older adults, which may decrease anxiety among the elderly about cognitive function, according to an article in the December 20 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

“Cognitive decline is a rapidly growing problem because of our aging population,” said Sally A. Shumaker, PhD, lead author. “It is probably one of the biggest fears that older adults have ? the loss of your mind and your competency and independence. It seriously threatens the ability of the aging population to live independently.”

The Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) study involved almost 3,000 participants. Half received 10 sessions of cognitive training and half received no special training. Participants who had the training showed immediate improvements in memory, reasoning and speed of processing. When the participants were tested five years later, the improvements had been sustained.

Other recent research showing that sedentary older adults perform less well on measures of memory suggests that physical activity may also be able to improve memory.

There are an estimated 24 million people in the world with dementia and 4.6 million new cases are diagnosed each year. Declines in certain mental functions, such as memory, predict future inability to perform activities of daily living, such as dressing and feeding themselves.

The authors wrote that matching cognitive training with an individual’s risk factor profile is an intriguing possibility. For example, training that focuses on memory may be best for those at risk for Alzheimer’s disease.

“Importantly, cognitive training programs may give individuals a greater sense of control over the disturbing prospect of cognitive decline and have a beneficial effect on their quality of life,” wrote the authors.

As a researcher, Shumaker served as national principal investigator for the Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study, which showed that estrogen and progestin doubled the risk of dementia in older women.