[Evidence Drop #9] Does brain training work? And if so, is it the daily sudoku?

I translate the research for you every 1st/3rd Tuesday!

I often hear patients say they do the crossword puzzle or other brain games to keep their brains “sharp.” But what does the research say about brain training and what kind really produces results?

A 2014 paper in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society by Rebok and colleagues reported the 10-year follow-up of the ACTIVE trial, tracking 2,832 older adults through three types of cognitive training to see what, if anything, actually lasted.

As usual, below you’ll get in real language:
📊 THE STUDY
💡 WHAT IT ACTUALLY MEANS
✍🏼 THE PRACTICAL RX
🎯 WHY THIS MATTERS FOR YOU

Citation: Rebok GW, Ball K, Guey LT, et al. Ten-year effects of the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly cognitive training trial on cognition and everyday functioning in older adults. J Am Geriatr Soc.2014;62(1):16-24.