Research shows that adults with mild cognitive decline assigned puzzles showed less brain shrinkage | News

Crossword puzzles are widely used, but have not been systematically studied in mild cognitive impairment. The new study has documented short- and longer-term benefits for web crossword puzzle training compared to another intervention. Researchers found that participants trained in doing web-based crossword puzzles showed greater cognitive improvement than those trained in cognitive video games. Brain shrinkage (measured by MRI) was less for crossword puzzles at 78 weeks. Further research to scale up brain training as a home-based digital therapeutic to slow Alzheimer’s disease should be a priority for the field.