Brain training sessions found to reduce dementia risk in decades-long study

The participants, who ranged in age from 65 to 94 at the start of the trial, were randomly placed in groups for 10 training sessions in memory, reasoning, or speed of processing. The 60- to 75-minute sessions were conducted over six weeks.

Another randomly selected group received "booster" training 11 months and 35 months after the initial session.

The findings were published in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia: Translational Research and Clinical Interventions.

Participants who had the "greatest advantage" underwent a maximum of 18 training sessions over three years, according to researcher Michael Marsiske, PhD, a professor and interim co-chair of the Department of Clinical and Health Psychology at UF Health.

Marsiske told Fox News Digital that he was "absolutely surprised" by these findings.

Speed training requires the participants to process visual information on a computer screen and "make quick decisions."

Participants reported benefits after five years, including less difficulty performing tasks like cooking, taking medication and managing finances. After 10 years, those who were trained in reasoning and speed of processing "maintained cognitive improvement," the researchers shared.

"I'm most excited about the ability to merge real-world data, like Medicare records, with a clinical trial like ours," Marsiske shared with Fox News Digital.

This study was funded by the National Institute on Aging and the National Institute of Nursing Research. Fox News Digital reached out to UF Health for comment.

Dr. Daniel Amen, psychiatrist and founder of Amen Clinics, previously commented on this method of brain training, noting that it's "critical" to continue learning and to challenge the brain, but that it's important to set boundaries.

"If you can be disciplined, word games, for example, or Sudoku games … can be helpful and have been shown to increase memory," he told Fox News Digital.

"New learning is a very important, critical strategy to decrease aging," Amen went on. "You should be spending 15 minutes a day learning something new that you don't know … whether it's a language, a musical instrument, a new gardening technique or a new technique in cooking."