Chess and dementia

[Paul McKeown]

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamane ... le/2807256

[John Foley]

In a nutshell

We observed that certain cognitively stimulating activities were associated with a lower risk of incident dementia among 10 318 older individuals who had reached age 70 years in generally good health and without major cognitive impairment. In particular, a higher frequency of engagement in adult literacy and active mental activities was associated with a 9.0% to 11.0% reduction in dementia risk.
...

Mental activities include doing crosswords and puzzles and playing games, cards, or chess, which are generally activities done with others and thus also involve a social interaction component. Many of these activities are competitive in nature and involve complex strategies and problem-solving. They use a variety of cognitive domains, including episodic memory, visuospatial skills, calculation, executive function, attention, and concentration.
...

The cognitive stimulation from such activities can increase resilience against brain pathologies by increasing the number of neurons, enhancing synaptic activity, and permitting higher efficiency in using brain networks.

[John Foley]

Also today - Drug donanemab seen as turning point in dementia fight
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-66221116

Details https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/f ... le/2807533

[Chris Goodall]

"without major cognitive impairment"

So what we could be seeing here is that minor cognitive impairment makes you less likely to play chess during your leisure time, and is also a harbinger of major cognitive impairment?