Although attempting to solve crossword puzzles is frequently mentioned and recommended in the popular press as a mentally stimulating activity, there is surprisingly little empirical support for their role in influencing the rate of cognitive aging.Ĭrossword puzzles might reduce risk of cognitive decline via their effect on improving cognitive reserve, direct disease modification effects, or they may be a marker for other healthy behaviors ( Verghese, Lipton, et al., 2003 Verghese et al., 2006). Fifteen percent of participants in the Bronx Aging study (BAS) reported doing crossword puzzles supporting this pastime’s popularity among older populations ( Verghese, Lipton, et al., 2003 Verghese et al., 2006). census bureau reported that 14 to 16% of the adult population did crossword puzzles, with at least half of the puzzlers doing it at least two or more times a week ( United States Census Bureau, 1998, 2008). The role of crossword puzzles in preventing cognitive decline is of particular interest given their wide availability (newspapers, books, and the Internet), easy accessibility, and minimal cost. However, not all studies have found these associations ( Aartsen, Smits, van Tilburg, Knipscheer, & Deeg, 2002).Įmpirical support for the amount of mental activity and its role in influencing rate of mental ageing is yet to be conclusively demonstrated. Cognitively stimulating leisure activities have been reported to be associated with reduced risk of developing dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) syndromes ( Verghese, Lipton, et al., 2003 Verghese et al., 2006). population and the attendant increase in diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has heightened public and scientific interest in identifying ways to maintain cognitive vitality and prevent the onset of dementia. Given the wide availability and accessibility of crossword puzzles, their role in preventing cognitive decline should be validated in future clinical trials. Our findings show that late life crossword puzzle participation, independent of education, was associated with delayed onset of memory decline in persons who developed dementia. Inclusion of education or participation in other cognitively stimulating activities did not significantly add to the fit of the model beyond the effect of puzzles. Crossword puzzle participation at baseline delayed onset of accelerated memory decline by 2.54 years.

We assessed the influence of crossword puzzle participation on the onset of accelerated memory decline as measured by the Buschke Selective Reminding Test in 101 individuals who developed incident dementia using a change point model. We followed 488 initially cognitively intact community residing individuals with clinical and cognitive assessments every 12–18 months in the Bronx Aging Study. Participation in cognitively stimulating leisure activities such as crossword puzzles may delay onset of the memory decline in the preclinical stages of dementia, possibly via its effect on improving cognitive reserve.

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