Crossword puzzles aren't just for fun.
Researchers have found that the more the elderly (who subsequently developed dementia) participate in mentally-challenging activities like classes, group discussions, board games, bingo, volunteer work, eating out, going to the movies, reading, playing music and similar pastimes, the longer they went without showing obvious signs of memory loss and other symptoms.
Study author Charles B. Hall, Ph.D., of Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York reported that the above pastimes may help to build up so-called cognitive reserve, "or the ability of the brain to function normally despite showing signs of damage from Alzheimer's Disease".
