Socializing Helps Ward Off Mental Decline in the Aging Brain, Study Shows

New research reaffirms the idea that social interactions help keep older adults' minds sharp, reports United Press International . A new Boston-based study followed 217 older adults, some with high levels of a protein linked to Alzheimer's, and found that mental decline slowed in those participants who regularly socialized with others. This suggests that "social engagement may be an important marker of resilience" in older adults who may develop dementia or Alzheimer's disease, states senior author Dr. Nancy Donovan. The study followed the seniors for three years and found that participants with high Alzheimers's-linked protein levels and low social engagement tended to experience a quicker mental decline than their peers who socialized frequently. Meanwhile, older adults without the Alzheimer's protein who did not regularly socialize didn't report similar levels of cognitive decline. Donovan and her colleagues believe further study on the topic could prove invaluable to the medical community's understanding of Alzheimer's.