Reading fairy tales and solving puzzles with your children could reduce their risk of developing dementia in later life, it has been claimed.
The suggestion came after research found that eight-year-olds with strong problem-solving skills retained them in old age.
Scientists studied 502 Britons born in the same week in March 1946 who took thinking and memory tests at eight and again between the ages of 69 and 71. They found that “childhood cognitive ability was strongly associated with cognitive scores . . . more than 60 years later”.
About 850,000 people in the UK have dementia. Previous studies have suggested that keeping the brain active and stimulated may lessen dementia risk or help to stave off its effects for longer, but after the latest research experts have suggested that this stimulation should begin in childhood.
John Gallacher, a professor of cognitive health at the University of Oxford and director of Dementias Platform UK, a body funded by the Medical Research Council, said parents who help build up their child’s thinking and problem-solving skills could make them more resilient to the disease.
None of the participants in the study, led by researchers at University College London (UCL) and published in the American Journal of Neurology, had dementia, but some were found to have signs of beta-amyloid in their brains, a protein that can build up into plaques and go on to cause Alzheimer’s.
Carol Routledge, director of research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “This study sheds more light on the complex relationship between memory and thinking skills in early life and our cognitive ability as we get older.
“One explanation for this relationship is cognitive reserve, the idea that the memory and thinking skills we acquire during our lives can make us more resilient to the symptoms of dementia in older age, but more research is needed to better understand this link.”
The study, which was supported by Dementias Platform UK, did not find a link between an individual’s childhood scores and the amount of beta-amyloid in their brain, so researchers could not conclude that childhood cognitive scores act as a predictor for dementia.
However, Dr Gallacher said the study showed strong cognitive ability built up in childhood can survive into later life.
He said that some eight-year-olds score more highly for genetic reasons, but added: “There is every argument for saying that if you give a child the best start in life with a rich, cognitively stimulating environment, the benefit will persist throughout adulthood potentially through to better cognitive health in old age.
“The idea of reading imaginative stories with your child, solving problems, creating a learning environment where their mental life is enjoyed . . . The richer your child’s cognitive life is, the richer their adult cognitive life will be and the lower the risk of dementia.”
Jonathan Schott, of UCL, a neurologist and author of the study, said: “There is growing evidence that better cognitive performance in later life may reduce your risk of developing dementia.
“[The study] found that childhood cognitive skills, education and socioeconomic status all independently influence cognitive performance at age 70. Continued follow-up of these individuals and future studies are needed to determine how to best use these findings to more accurately predict how a person’s thinking and memory will change as they age.”
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