Crosswords and sudoku have often been the answer to improving memory and sharpening the brain but a new study has found that regular meditation and yoga practice could ward off Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia in older people.
Neuroscientists from UCLA studied 25 people in their mid-fifties who had signs of mild cognitive impairment such as memory and thinking problems. They were separated into two groups with one assigned 12 weeks of meditation and yoga practice while the other group had scientifically-proven memory training such as strategies for improving forgetfulness, according to The Daily Mail.
The results showed that while both groups showed signs of improvement in verbal memory which involves remembering words such as names and lists, the meditation group showed improvements in visual spacial memory and benefited from reduced stress and depression as well.
“When you have memory loss, you can get quite anxious about that and it can lead to depression,” stated the study’s lead author, Helen Lavretsky. While fellow lead researcher, Harris Eyre says “historically and anecdotally, yoga has been thought to be beneficial in ageing well, but this is the scientific demonstration of that benefit.”
Although only a small pilot study, the results are promising and show, together with many recent studies into meditation, that the practice can benefit those suffering from depression and anxiety. Those suffering from dementia can experience periods of immense worry that practicing meditation can help to curb.
However, Lavretsky also thinks that the improvements in visual spacial memory will also have great benefits to dementia sufferers as MRI scans showed the connectivity of brain networks were marginally improved. Although carried out in older people, the researchers believe that this could also benefit those of all ages who have temporary memory issues and the anxiety that comes with it.
The study was recently published in the journal Alzheimer’s Disease.