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 Doing crossword puzzles and Sudoku does not appear to protect against mental decline, according to a new study. 
 
 The idea of "use it or lose it" when it comes to our brains in later life has previously been widely accepted. 
 
 The new Scottish study showed that people who regularly do intellectual activities throughout life have higher mental abilities. 
 
 This provides a "higher cognitive point" from which to decline, say the researchers. 
 
 But the study did not show that they decline any slower. 
 
 The work, published in the BMJ, was undertaken by Dr Roger Staff at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and the University of Aberdeen. 
 
 It looked at 498 people born in 1936 who had taken part in a group intelligence test at the age of 11. 
 
 This current study started when they were about 64 years old and they were recalled for memory and mental-processing-speed testing up to five times over a 15-year period. 
 
 It found engagement in problem solving did not protect an individual from decline. 
 
 However, engaging in intellectually stimulating activities on a regular basis was linked to level of mental ability in old age. 
 
 Proof? 
 
 The study uses modelling to look at associations and cannot prove any causal link. Also, many of the participants were unable to complete the whole study - some dropped out, others died. 
 
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 Previously, some studies have found that cognitive training can improve some aspects of memory and thinking, particularly for people who are middle-aged or older. 
 
 They found so-called brain training may help older people to manage their daily tasks better. 
 
 No studies have shown that brain training prevents dementia. 
 
 And last year a report from the Global Council on Brain Health recommended that people should take part in stimulating activities such as learning a musical instrument, designing a quilt or gardening rather than brain training to help their brain function in later life. 
 
 It said the younger a person started these activities, the better their brain function would be as they aged. 
 
 Dr Staff and colleagues say even though their study did not find puzzles counteracted mental decline, it doesn't mean they are a waste of time. 
 
 Dr David Reynolds, chief scientific officer at Alzheimer's Research UK, said the research added to the "ongoing 'use it or lose it' debate". 
 
 But as the research did not consider people with dementia, "we can't say from these results whether specific brain training activities could impact a person's risk of the condition". 
 
 "In addition to staying mentally active, keeping physically fit, eating a healthy balanced diet, not smoking, drinking within recommended guidelines and keeping weight, cholesterol and blood pressure in check are all good ways to support a healthy brain as we get older." 
 
 Dr James Pickett, Head of Research at Alzheimer's Society, said: "Although playing 'brain games' such as Sudoku may not prevent dementia, is has been shown that regularly challenging yourself mentally seems to build up the brain's ability to cope with disease." ||||| The more regularly people report doing word puzzles such as crosswords, the better their brain function in later life, a large-scale and robust online trial has found 
 
 The more regularly people report doing word puzzles such as crosswords, the better their brain function in later life, a large-scale and robust online trial has found. 
 
 Experts at the University of Exeter Medical School and Kings College London analysed data from more than 17,000 healthy people aged 50 and over, submitted in an online trial. In research presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) 2017, the team asked participants how frequently they played word puzzles such as crosswords. 
 
 The study, one of the largest of its kind, used tests from the CogTrackTM and PROTECT online cognitive test systems to assess core aspects of brain function. They found that the more regularly participants engaged with word puzzles, the better they performed on tasks assessing attention, reasoning and memory. 
 
 From their results, researchers calculate that people who engage in word puzzles have brain function equivalent to ten years younger than their age, on tests of grammatical reasoning speed and short term memory accuracy. 
 
 Keith Wesnes, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Exeter Medical School, said: "We found direct relationships between the frequency of word puzzle use and the speed and accuracy of performance on nine cognitive tasks assessing a range of aspects of function including attention, reasoning and memory. Performance was consistently better in those who reported engaging in puzzles, and generally improved incrementally with the frequency of puzzle use. For example, on test measures of grammatical reasoning speed and short-term memory accuracy, performing word puzzles was associated with an age-related reduction of around 10 years. We now need to follow up this very exciting association in a clinical trial, to establish whether engaging in puzzles results in improvement in brain function." 
 
 The study used participants in the PROTECT online platform, run by the University of Exeter and Kings College London. Currently, more than 22,000 healthy people aged between 50 and 96 are registered in the study, which is planning further expansion. The online platform enables researchers to conduct and manage large-scale studies without the need for laboratory visits. PROTECT is a 10 year study with participants being followed up annually to enable a better understanding of cognitive trajectories in this age range. PROTECT is funded by the Alzheimer's Society and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Bioresource, including through its NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN). 
 
 Clive Ballard, Professor of Age-Related Diseases at the University of Exeter Medical School, said: "We know that many of the factors involved in dementia are preventable. It is essential that we find out what lifestyle factors really make a difference to helping people maintain healthy brains to stop the soaring rise of the disease. We can't yet say that crosswords give you a sharper brain - the next step is to assess whether encouraging people to start playing word games regularly could actually improve their brain function." 
 
 Dr Doug Brown, Director of Research of Alzheimer's Society, said: "We know that keeping an active mind can help to reduce decline in thinking skills. 
 
 "This new research does reveal a link between word puzzles, like crosswords, and memory and thinking skills, but we can't say definitively that regular 'puzzling' improves these skills. 
 
 "To be able to say for sure, the crucial next step is to test if there are benefits in people who take up word puzzles. 
 
 "In the meantime our top tips to reduce the risk of developing dementia are keeping physically active, avoiding smoking and eating a healthy balanced diet." 
 
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 The poster, entitled The Relationship Between the Frequency of Word Puzzle Use and Cognitive Function in a Large Sample of Adults Aged 50 to 96 Years, is being presented at AAIC on Monday, July 17, 2017: 9:30AM - 4:15PM.
– Scottish researchers have some good news and bad news for those who do crosswords, Suduko, and similar puzzles. Such brain-training exercises will not prevent mental decline or ward off dementia, suggests their new study in the British Medical Journal. However, the researchers do see a benefit for puzzlers, making a subtle distinction in what they call the "use it or lose it" debate: Doing puzzles regularly throughout life seems to result in people having a "higher cognitive point from which to decline." The puzzlers just shouldn't expect the decline to be any slower once it begins, reports the BBC. The study looked at nearly 500 people born in 1936 who first took an intelligence test at age 11 and have participated in followup tests over the years, per the Aberdeen Evening Express. The researchers note that theirs is an observational study, not one that proves cause and effect. And as for the common practice of working puzzles into cognitive training programs for seniors, well, they can't hurt—"the intentions appear laudable with no apparent ill effects." They also note that the holidays are coming up, and they don't want their study to ruin any gifts such as a big Sudoko book or chess board. "If family and friends give you a disappointed look on opening their Christmas present, remind them that investment in intellectual activities throughout life could provide them with a higher cognitive point from which to decline," they advise. "Surely, this is as good a gift as any!" (Changes in your speech could offer a clue into mental decline.)