Speed-Training Game Altered Blood Beta-Amyloid Ratio in Older Men but Not in Women

A cognitive speed-training game increased the ratio of two forms of beta-amyloid in the blood of older men, according to research presented July 12 at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in London. Hye Won Chai of Clemson University reported that 53 U.S. participants aged 65 and older completed either two to four hours of speed training each week for 4.5 months or spent equivalent time on other activities.

The group included 13 men. Blood samples taken before and after the period showed the beta-amyloid shift only among men who performed the speed training. The remaining participants played games such as Solitaire, word search, or a Connect 4-style game, or completed another form of brain training that required tracking objects and switching tasks.

Those regimens produced no change in beta-amyloid levels. Cognitive training also had no measurable effect on amyloid levels among the female participants. A separate 20-year study had previously found that people aged 65 and older who performed the same speed training were 25 percent less likely to receive a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia than a control group.

Chai said the results indicate that speed training may reduce dementia risk through different mechanisms in men and women. Sasha Novozhilova of McGill University called the finding a strengthening of earlier evidence that the training lowers dementia incidence.

The change suggests the training improved the brain’s clearance of beta-amyloid 42, a protein that forms plaques linked to Alzheimer’s disease.