Brain training exercises could lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. A new study discovered that older persons who participate in computer-based “cognitive speed training” may lower their dementia risk for up to 20 years. In particular, a speed training exercise reduced the risk of dementia by almost 25%.
Alzheimer’s disease affects millions of people worldwide, and the numbers are expected to rise as populations age. With no definitive cure currently available, prevention has become one of the most powerful strategies in addressing the growing burden of the disease.
Researchers are increasingly focusing on ways to strengthen the brain before cognitive decline begins. While lifestyle factors such as diet and physical activity often receive the most attention, cognitive training is emerging as another promising approach for supporting long-term brain health.
A recent study has discovered that older people who engage in computer-based “cognitive speed training” may lower their dementia risk for up to 20 years. The journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Translational Research and Clinical Interventions published the study [1].
About the Research
This study, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is the first and only randomized clinical trial to assess the 20-year connections between cognitive training and dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, in adults who participated in the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) study [2].
Comparing speed, memory, and reasoning brain training
The ACTIVE study enrolled around 2,802 participants from across the United States, with an average age of 74, between March 1998 and October 1999. The objective was to compare the long-term advantages of participants who were randomly assigned to three distinct forms of cognitive training, memory, reasoning, and processing speed, against a control group that did not get any training.
Participants in speed training underwent computerized training aimed at improving the speed and accuracy of visual information processing while also broadening the visual area over which a person could pay attention and make quick decisions.
The training was adaptive and individualized, beginning with each participant at a task difficulty suited to their ability, becoming more difficult as a participant succeeded at the task and easier as a participant struggled with it.
According to Marilyn Albert, director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at Johns Hopkins Medicine and the corresponding author of the study, during memory training, participants learned mnemonic strategies for remembering word lists, item sequences, text content, and main ideas and details of the stories. For example, participants were taught how to organize word lists into meaningful categories, as well as how to recall words and texts using visual imagery and mental associations.
Participants in reasoning training focus on the capacity to solve problems that follow a serial pattern, for instance, identifying the pattern in a letter or number series or understanding the pattern in everyday activities such as prescription drug dosing or travel schedules [3].
“Boosted” Cognitive Speed Training Reduces Dementia Risk
Participants in a cognitive training program received ten training sessions over the course of five weeks, twice a week for 60 to 75 minutes each.
After completing at least eight of the ten sessions, approximately half of the participants were randomized to receive additional cognitive training, known as “booster” training or boosters—four sessions at the end of the first year and another four at the end of the third year.
After a 20-year follow-up, researchers discovered that individuals who received cognitive speed training with additional “boosted” sessions had a lower risk of receiving a dementia diagnosis, including Alzheimer’s disease.
In this 20-year follow-up study, about 105 out of 264 (40%) people in the speed-training group with boosters were diagnosed with dementia, a 25% lower rate than 239 out of 491 (49%) adults in the control group. When compared to the control group, this was the only intervention that showed a statistically significant or meaningful difference.
Researchers analyzed Medicare data from 2,021 participants (72% of the initial study) between 1999 and 2019 to draw their conclusions. The characteristics of individuals in the follow-up study were similar to those in the original trial.
There was no discernible improvement for participants in the other two cognitive training programs, including those who were randomly assigned to the speed group but not the booster group.
According to Albert, participants who were randomly assigned to the speed booster group showed a significant 19% reduction in risk compared to those who were eligible for booster training but were placed in the non-booster group. This finding provides additional evidence of the importance of the booster training.
Significance of the Study
According to Albert, the fact that increased speed training was linked to a lower incidence of dementia two decades later is remarkable since it implies that a relatively simple nonpharmacological intervention can have long-term consequences.
Even minor delays in the onset of dementia can have a significant effect on public health and lower the cost of healthcare.
Albert emphasized that more research is needed to better understand the underlying mechanisms that may help explain these connections, as well as why the reasoning and memory interventions did not have the same 20-year associations.
The results of this 20-year study build on earlier findings from the ACTIVE trials, the largest study in the United States to evaluate various forms of cognitive training in adults. In the past, ACTIVE researchers discovered that cognitive training improved individuals’ everyday tasks that involve the ability to think, remember, reason, and make judgments fast for up to five years.
What Makes Speed Training More Effective?
All three training arms were also connected to better results in everyday function ten years later. Furthermore, compared to the control group, individuals who finished speed training had a 29% decreased risk of dementia ten years later. Each booster session resulted in further risk reductions.
According to the authors, speed training may have been especially successful because the program was adaptive, adjusting its degree of difficulty to each participant’s unique performance level that day.
People who were faster at the start progressed to faster challenges, while those who needed more time began at slower levels. The memory and reasoning programs were not adaptive. Therefore, every person in the group learned the same tactics.
Moreover, while memory and reasoning training encourage explicit learning (similar to acquiring facts and techniques), speed training fosters implicit learning (akin to an unconscious habit or innate talent).
Scientists are already aware that implicit learning works in the brain in a completely different manner than explicit learning, which may explain the findings in the current study with dementia.
Additionally, the authors noted that speed training may complement other lifestyle changes that improve brain connections. However, further study is required to understand and validate these interactions.
Other actions that have been linked to a lower risk of cognitive decline include supporting cardiovascular health by regularly exercising and monitoring blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, and body weight.
Alzheimer’s Research Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping caregivers of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. We provide the latest information and news about the illness and helpful tips to help caregivers cope with their daily caregiving challenges. We realize the most important thing that a caregiver needs is financial assistance. Therefore, we provide grants to caregivers to ease their financial burden. Caregivers can apply for grants here: Alzheimer’s Grant Application.
You can also help caregivers in their endeavor by donating as much as possible: Donation To Alzheimer’s Research Associations.
References
- Coe, N.B., Miller, K.E., Sun, C., Taggert, E., Gross, A.L., Jones, R.N., Felix, C., Albert, M.S., Rebok, G.W., Marsiske, M. and Ball, K.K., 2026. Impact of cognitive training on claims‐based diagnosed dementia over 20 years: evidence from the ACTIVE study. Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions, 12(1), p.e70197.
- Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE). National Institute on Aging. https://www.nia.nih.gov/research/resource/advanced-cognitive-training-independent-and-vital-elderly-active. Accessed: 10th March, 2026.
- Pelc, C. Can brain training games actually reduce dementia risk? New study offers evidence. Medical News Today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/brain-training-games-reduce-dementia-risk-new-study-evidence-cognitive-speed. Published Online: 12th February, 2026. Accessed: 10th March, 2026.
- Cognitive Speed Training Linked to Lower Dementia Incidence Up To 20 Years Later. Johns Hopkins Medicine. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/newsroom/news-releases/2026/02/cognitive-speed-training-linked-to-lower-dementia-incidence-up-to-20-years-later. Published Online: 9th February, 2026. Accessed: 10th March, 2026.
- Dementia Risk Reduced by 25% with Specific Type of Brain Exercise. Neuroscience News. https://neurosciencenews.com/cognitive-speed-training-dementia-30113/. Published Online: 14th February, 2026. Accessed: 10th March, 2026.
- Wexler, J. This Type of Brain Training May Actually Cut Your Alzheimer’s Risk. Health. https://www.health.com/brain-training-cut-alzheimers-risk-study-11907763. Published Online: 19th February, 2026. Accessed: 10th March, 2026.
