“Our study showed promising evidence that adults with MCI can learn to practice mindfulness meditation, and by doing so may boost their cognitive reserve,” says lead study author Rebecca Erwin Wells.
Scientists looked at 14 men and women aged 55 to 90 with diagnosed MCI and had nine of them do an eight-week mindfulness meditation or yoga course. Those who completed the course showed trends towards better cognitive health and a better understanding of what it means to be mindful, the study found.
“While the concept of mindfulness meditation is simple, the practice itself requires complex cognitive processes, discipline and commitment,” says Wells. “This study suggests that the cognitive impairment in MCI is not prohibitive of what is required to learn this new skill.”
Meditation has also recently been linked with a more satisfactory life, as it helps them feel more connected.
Other recent breakthroughs in Alzheimer’s research include the development of a blood test possibly capable of detecting disease symptoms before they appear and a study that found that a healthy lifestyle can offset chances of developing the disease.
