PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Learning new skills keeps an aging mind sharp

2013-10-21
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Anna Mikulak
amikulak@psychologicalscience.org
202-293-9300
Association for Psychological Science
Learning new skills keeps an aging mind sharp Older adults are often encouraged to stay active and engaged to keep their minds sharp, that they have to "use it or lose it." But new research indicates that only certain activities — learning a mentally demanding skill like photography, for instance — are likely to improve cognitive functioning.

These findings, forthcoming in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, reveal that less demanding activities, such as listening to classical music or completing word puzzles, probably won't bring noticeable benefits to an aging mind.

"It seems it is not enough just to get out and do something—it is important to get out and do something that is unfamiliar and mentally challenging, and that provides broad stimulation mentally and socially," says psychological scientist and lead researcher Denise Park of the University of Texas at Dallas. "When you are inside your comfort zone you may be outside of the enhancement zone."

The new findings provide much-needed insight into the components of everyday activities that contribute to cognitive vitality as we age.

"We need, as a society, to learn how to maintain a healthy mind, just like we know how to maintain vascular health with diet and exercise," says Park. "We know so little right now."

For their study, Park and colleagues randomly assigned 221 adults, ages 60 to 90, to engage in a particular type of activity for 15 hours a week over the course of three months.

Some participants were assigned to learn a new skill — digital photography, quilting, or both — which required active engagement and tapped working memory, long-term memory and other high-level cognitive processes.

Other participants were instructed to engage in more familiar activities at home, such as listening to classical music and completing word puzzles. And, to account for the possible influence of social contact, some participants were assigned to a social group that included social interactions, field trips, and entertainment.

At the end of three months, Park and colleagues found that the adults who were productively engaged in learning new skills showed improvements in memory compared to those who engaged in social activities or non-demanding mental activities at home.

"The findings suggest that engagement alone is not enough," says Park. "The three learning groups were pushed very hard to keep learning more and mastering more tasks and skills. Only the groups that were confronted with continuous and prolonged mental challenge improved."

The study is particularly noteworthy given that the researchers were able to systematically intervene in people's lives, putting them in new environments and providing them with skills and relationships:

"Our participants essentially agreed to be assigned randomly to different lifestyles for three months so that we could compare how different social and learning environments affected the mind," says Park. "People built relationships and learned new skills — we hope these are gifts that keep on giving, and continue to be a source of engagement and stimulation even after they finished the study."

Park and colleagues are planning on following up with the participants one year and five years down the road to see if the effects remain over the long term. They believe that the research has the potential to be profoundly important and relevant, especially as the number of seniors continues to rise:

"This is speculation, but what if challenging mental activity slows the rate at which the brain ages?" asks Park. "Every year that you save could be an added year of high quality life and independence."

### For more information about this study or to arrange an interview, please contact: Benjamin Porter at Ben.Porter@UTDallas.edu or (972) 883-2193

Co-authors include Linda Drew, Sara Haber, Andrew Hebrank, Gérard N. Bischof, and Whitley Aamodt, all of the University of Texas at Dallas, and Jennifer Lodi-Smith of Canisius College.

This research was supported by the National Institute on Aging by a grant to D.C. Park (NIA grant 5R01AG026589-02; NIA ARRA Supplement 3R01AG026589-03S1, NIA ARRA Challenge Grant RFA NOT-OD-09-056).

The APS journal Psychological Science is the highest ranked empirical journal in psychology. For a copy of the article "The Impact of Sustained Engagement on Cognitive Function in Older Adults: The Synapse Project" and access to other Psychological Science research findings, please contact Anna Mikulak at 202-293-9300 or amikulak@psychologicalscience.org.


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Personal and social concerns motivate organic food buyers

2013-10-21
Personal and social concerns motivate organic food buyers Study offers tips for green advertising strategists PULLMAN, Wash. – Predicting whether consumers will purchase organic or conventional food is a multimillion dollar gamble within the food sector. ...

Fatal cholesterol disease overlooked and untreated

2013-10-21
Fatal cholesterol disease overlooked and untreated Hereditary high blood cholesterol leads to premature heart disease. It is overlooked and untreated virtually worldwide -- including in Europe. This is a major problem as the disease ...

New idea for targeting the common cancer protein KRAS

2013-10-20
New idea for targeting the common cancer protein KRAS BOSTON — Patients with cancers driven by the protein KRAS, which are particularly hard to treat, may benefit from small molecules that attach to and disrupt the function of a KRAS-containing ...

Potential new drug for some patients with treatment-resistant lung cancer

2013-10-20
Potential new drug for some patients with treatment-resistant lung cancer BOSTON — The investigational drug AZD9291, a third-generation EGFR inhibitor, showed promise in preclinical studies and provides hope for patients with advanced lung ...

Targeted investigational therapy potential to overcome crizotinib resistance in lung cancers

2013-10-20
Targeted investigational therapy potential to overcome crizotinib resistance in lung cancers BOSTON — PF-06463922, an investigational drug being developed by Pfizer Inc., has the potential to become a new treatment option for patients who ...

Potential new drug effective in breast cancer and melanoma resistant to targeted therapies

2013-10-20
Potential new drug effective in breast cancer and melanoma resistant to targeted therapies BOSTON — LEE011, a small-molecule inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK) 4/6 being developed by Novartis Oncology, showed promising results in ...

Satellite sees extra-tropical Typhoon Wipha affecting Alaska

2013-10-19
Satellite sees extra-tropical Typhoon Wipha affecting Alaska Powerful Typhoon Wipha never made landfall in the northwestern Pacific but affected several land areas there as seen by NASA's Aqua and Terra satellites. By Oct. 18, extra-tropical storm Wipha moved into ...

Skid row cancer study has implications for treatment today, Penn researcher says

2013-10-19
Skid row cancer study has implications for treatment today, Penn researcher says An ethically dubious medical research study from the 1950s and 60s, known as the "Bowery series," foreshadowed and shared commonalities with prostate cancer screening ...

NASA's TRMM satellite monitors Typhoon Francisco

2013-10-19
NASA's TRMM satellite monitors Typhoon Francisco Typhoon Francisco passed west of Guam on Oct. 18 as NASA and the Japan Space Agency's TRMM satellite passed overhead and measured its heavy rainfall. Francisco is forecast to intensify into a super typhoon. Francisco ...

How 'phenotype switching' can make melanoma become metastatic and resistant to drugs

2013-10-19
How 'phenotype switching' can make melanoma become metastatic and resistant to drugs By understanding the Wnt5A signaling pathway, researchers may be able to determine which patients may respond more favorably to BRAF inhibitors One of the challenges of understanding ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Researcher develop the first hydride ion prototype battery

MIT researchers find a more precise way to edit the genome

‘Teen’ pachycephalosaur butts into fossil record

Study finds cocoa extract supplement reduced key marker of inflammation and aging

Obesity treatment with bariatric surgery vs GLP-1 receptor agonists

Nicotinamide for skin cancer chemoprevention

Novel way to ‘rev up’ brown fat burns calories, limits obesity in mice

USC Stem Cell-led team makes major advance toward building a synthetic kidney

Delegation to Artificial Intelligence can increase dishonest behavior

Repeated head impacts cause early neuron loss and inflammation in young athletes

BU study of young athletes finds neurodegeneration might begin before CTEa

Dr. Carl Nathan wins David and Beatrix Hamburg Award

New microscope captures large, high-resolution images of curved samples in single snapshot

SwRI, UT San Antonio will test technology designed to support extended space missions to Moon, Mars

Hot flashes can be reliably predicted by an ai-driven algorithm developed by UMass Amherst and Embr Labs

FAU/Baptist Health AI spine model could transform lower back pain treatment

CDI Lab, HMH specialists identify vital pathway initiating cellular immunity in Science Immunology journal

University of Pennsylvania professor to receive the 2025 Clinical Research Prize

Revolutionary scandium doping technique extends sodium-ion battery life

High-fat diet impairs memory formation by reducing autophagy

Keck Hospital of USC named a Vizient Top Performer for third year in a row

New CRISPR test could make tuberculosis screening as simple as a mouth swab

Three-sensor overeating detection could reshape obesity treatment

Study provides first evidence that plastic nanoparticles can accumulate in the edible parts of vegetables

AI predicts complications from surgery better than doctors

New personalized risk score could improve ovarian cancer detection

People on Ozempic who eat to regulate emotions less likely to lose weight

AACR Cancer Progress Report highlights lifesaving impact of federal investments in cancer research

Indra's internet

Lymph nodes found to be key to successful cancer immunotherapy

[Press-News.org] Learning new skills keeps an aging mind sharp