NIH-Backed Trial Ties Reaction-Time Training to 25% Lower Dementia Risk After 20 Years
Updated
Updated · KSL.com · Jul 31
NIH-Backed Trial Ties Reaction-Time Training to 25% Lower Dementia Risk After 20 Years
3 articles · Updated · KSL.com · Jul 31
Summary
More than 2,800 older adults in the NIH-funded ACTIVE trial were followed for 20 years, and speed-of-processing training was the only cognitive intervention linked to a statistically significant benefit—cutting dementia risk by 25%.
Reaction time matters beyond sport because it reflects how quickly the brain processes cues and triggers movement; that speed starts declining in people’s 20s and worsens after 60.
Falls are a key consequence: slow reaction time can leave only milliseconds to recover from a trip, and falls are the leading cause of injury-related death for adults 65 and older, according to the CDC.
Dana Santas says people can train the skill at home with 5 to 10 minutes of drills—such as clock taps, tennis-ball wall bounces, ball drops and lateral shuffles—done two to three times a week.