Experts Advise 'Stretching Your Brain' to Stave Off Dementia

Lifelong learning, physical exercise, and controlling health conditions can help protect cognitive function as you age.

Published on Mar. 9, 2026

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Experts recommend a variety of mentally stimulating activities, from crossword puzzles to learning a new language, to help maintain brain health and potentially reduce the risk of dementia. Research shows that lifelong learning, physical exercise, and controlling conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes can all contribute to cognitive reserve and slow the decline of memory and thinking skills, even in those with Alzheimer's hallmarks in the brain.

Why it matters

As the population ages, finding ways to protect brain health and prevent dementia is a growing public health priority. This research provides guidance on lifestyle changes that may help maintain cognitive function and delay the onset of Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia.

The details

A recent study led by neuropsychologist Andrea Zammit of Rush University Medical Center found that people with the highest levels of lifelong learning, including intellectually stimulating activities from childhood through retirement, developed Alzheimer's disease about five years later than those with the least amount of cognitive enrichment. The study also showed that greater cognitive activity, even in middle age and beyond, was linked to a slower rate of cognitive decline. Autopsies revealed that those with more enriched cognitive lifestyles had better memory and thinking skills, even when their brains showed Alzheimer's hallmarks.

  • The study enrolled nearly 2,000 older adults, ranging from age 53 to 100, and tracked them for eight years.
  • The study was published in the journal Neurology.

The players

Andrea Zammit

A neuropsychologist at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago who led the study on lifelong learning and dementia risk.

Ronald Petersen

An Alzheimer's specialist at the Mayo Clinic who cautions that there is no magic recipe to prevent dementia, but lifestyle changes can 'slow down the arc of deterioration.'

Jessica Langbaum

A researcher at the Banner Alzheimer's Institute who advises choosing activities that help you think on your feet, like joining a book club.

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What they’re saying

“They kind of like stretch your brain and your thinking. You're using your different cognitive systems.”

— Andrea Zammit, neuropsychologist (AP)

“It's not just one activity. It's more about finding meaningful activities that you might be passionate about.”

— Andrea Zammit, neuropsychologist (AP)

“There's no magic recipe to prevent either dementia or the normal cognitive decline of aging, but lifestyle changes offer a chance to 'slow down the arc of deterioration'.”

— Ronald Petersen, Alzheimer's specialist at the Mayo Clinic (AP)

What’s next

Researchers are now examining whether long-term computerized brain exercises that aim to improve attention and reaction time can provide additional benefits for brain health.

The takeaway

Maintaining an active and intellectually engaged lifestyle throughout one's life, combined with physical exercise and controlling chronic health conditions, can help build cognitive reserve and slow the decline of memory and thinking skills as we age, even in those at risk for Alzheimer's disease.