New research shows that cognitive training can boost levels of a key brain chemical involved in decision-making.
MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
Scientists have provided the first compelling evidence that mental exercise can cause biological changes in the human brain. NPR's John Hamilton reports on new research showing that intense cognitive training reverses the process associated with aging.
JOHN HAMILTON, BYLINE: The Internet is filled with brain-training programs that promise to improve thinking and memory. But Etienne de Villers-Sidani of McGill University in Canada says it's difficult to know whether they actually work.
ETHIENNE DE VILLE-SIDANY: They had a positive effect on some cognitive measures, but then the question became how much does it change the brain and how does it change the brain?
HAMILTON: So De Villers-Sidani and a team of researchers decided to test whether mental exercise could boost levels of a chemical messenger that is closely linked to cognitive ability. This is called acetylcholine. He says levels tend to fall starting in middle age.
DE VILLERS-SIDANI: Every decade after age 40 to 45, there is a decline in levels of this neurotransmitter of about 2.5% in key areas of the brain.
HAMILTON: In people with Alzheimer's disease, the decline is much faster. The researchers studied 92 healthy people aged at least 65 years. De Villers-Sidani says that during the 10-week study, half of the participants spent 30 minutes a day on mental exercise. They were derived from a scientifically proven cognitive training program called Brain HQ.
DE VILLERS-SIDANI: It's really focused on attention and processing speed, and the thing about it is that it kind of pushes you to the limit.
HAMILTON: Asking you to remember more and more in less and less time. Other participants spent time playing video games such as Solitaire and Candy Crush. The researchers used a special type of PET scan to detect changes in acetylcholine levels. De Villers-Sidani says they focused on the anterior cingulate cortex, an area of ​​the brain that is important for decision making and error detection.
DE VILLERS-SIDANI: To be honest, I wasn't sure we'd find anything.
HAMILTON: But they did it. In people who played video games, acetylcholine levels did not change. But De Villers-Sidani says there was a significant increase in people who received cognitive training.
DE VILLERS-SIDANI: It was about 2.3%, which isn't that much, but it's significant given that you get a 2.5% decline per decade, usually just with age.
HAMILTON: So, at least in this area of ​​the brain, cognitive training appears to have turned back the clock by about 10 years. Acetylcholine levels also increased in other areas of the brain, including the hippocampus, which plays a key role in memory. The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, was published in the journal JMIR Serious Games. Michael Hasselmo, a neuroscientist at Boston University, said he was impressed by the results.
MICHAEL HASSELMO: It was so compelling that I looked at the assignment myself and thought maybe I should do it.
HAMILTON: Hasselmo has spent much of his career studying acetylcholine, a chemical messenger that also modulates neuronal behavior.
HASSELMO: If you block the neuromodulator function in the brain with a drug like scopolamine, the person won't even be able to think. Essentially, you fall into a delusional state.
HAMILTON: Low levels of acetylcholine are a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease and appear to contribute to the decline of memory and thinking. But Hasselmo says even a small increase in this neurotransmitter can significantly improve cognitive function. He says a cup of coffee boosts levels enough to improve attention and speed up reactions.
HASSELMO: A 2.5% change in the situation can have quite a profound and noticeable effect, even on a subjective level.
HAMILTON: Hasselmo says the first drugs for Alzheimer's disease reduce symptoms by increasing acetylcholine levels. Now, he says, it appears that intense brain training may provide similar benefits. John Hamilton, NPR News.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
© 2025 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of Use And permissions pages in www.npr.org for more information.
The accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript may be modified to correct errors or accommodate audio updates. Audio on npr.org may be edited after it is originally broadcast or published. The authoritative recording of NPR programs is the audio recording.
