A computerised brain training programme cut the risk of dementia among healthy people by 48% , US researchers said. 
The preliminary findings, presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Toronto, are the first to show that any kind of intervention could delay the development of dementia in normal, healthy adults. 
The study, known as Active, examined the effects of cognitive training programmes on 2,785 healthy older adults. 
The new findings would be quite promising if they hold up through peer review and publication in a scientific journal, said Dr. John King, an expert in social research at the US National Institute of Ageing. 
Participants were divided into three groups. One got training for memory improvement, one for reasoning and one with computerised training in speed-of-processing. 
People who completed 11 or more speed training sessions were at 48% less risk for developing dementia over the 10 years of the study. 
Participants had 10 one-hour training sessions conducted in a classroom setting over five weeks. Some received four additional "booster" sessions one year after the original training, and four more two years after that. 
Scientists measured cognitive and functional changes immediately and at one, two, three, five and 10 years after the training to see if it affected how participants performed daily tasks. 
The preliminary findings, presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Toronto, are the first to show that any kind of intervention could delay the development of dementia in normal, healthy adults.

Source ; QNA