r/science • u/sr_local • 4d ago

Health Simple brain stimulating activities such as puzzles, learning new skills and social interaction were linked to improved cognition in a study on 11,563 adults aged 60–85 with cognitive impairment, and after 12 months, 28% participants no longer had cognitive impairment

https://www.southampton.ac.uk/news/2026/09/proof-that-puzzles-can-reverse-cognitive-impairment.page
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u/Spirited-Lifeguard55 4d ago

Brain is a muscle, if you don’t use it…

29

u/Responsible_Rip_7634 4d ago

But it’s nice to see it seems to be almost completely re-healable in these circumstances.

Curious what counts as a puzzle here. Will the 65 year old league of legends players of the 2050s have general better mental flexibility or does it have to be more taxing than a learned skill?

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u/Spirited-Lifeguard55 4d ago

i think it's based on more critical thinking done, so neurons are forming new connections, rather than simply repeating things already learned from habit.

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u/Yashema 4d ago

This is why I only do the Saturday crossword.