Study reveals "speed training" the brain could delay dementia onset by years

By
Published  February 10, 2026 3:36pm MST
FOX Local

FILE - Doctors look at brain scans. (Getty Images)

The Brief

    • A long-term NIH study found that older adults who completed brain speed training had a 25% lower risk of developing dementia.
    • Participants did short, intensive training sessions focused on rapid visual processing, which proved more effective than memory or reasoning exercises.
    • Researchers say the training’s focus on fast, automatic thinking may explain its lasting brain health benefits.

Though it’s not new knowledge that exercising your brain can help reduce the onset of certain cognitive diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s, researchers have found that one type of cognitive training in particular showed more positive effects than those of memory or reasoning. 

Speed training your brain could help delay developing dementia by years, according to a recent study.

The National Institutes of Health followed adults over the age of 65 for 20 years and found that challenging them with rapid object detection tasks was associated with a 25% lower rate of dementia diagnosis. 

What they're saying:

"This study shows that simple brain training, done for just weeks, may help people stay mentally healthy for years longer," said NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, M.D., Ph.D. "That’s a powerful idea — that practical, affordable tools could help delay dementia and help older adults keep their independence and quality of life."

Exercising the brain 

Dig deeper:

Researchers randomly placed participants into cognitive training sessions that each lasted 60–75 minutes. 

This happened twice a week for over five to six weeks back in 1999.

Then, half of the participants were once again randomized into another round of training 11-35 months later. Researchers examined the effects of thos trainings through Medicare data collected, some as recently as 2019, from 2,021 study participants. 

Big picture view:

The cognitive training sessions were designed to improve one of three kinds of cognitive function: memory, reasoning and visual speed processing.

Researchers found that, unlike the memory or reasoning training, the speed training session allowed participants to adapt and improve over time with each new level of difficulty. 

It was also noted that the reason the speed training may have been more effective was due to "the regimen’s tendency for engaging automatic, unconscious thought rather than slower, deliberate thinking."

What's next:

Researchers believe that more studies need to be conducted that delve deeper into why speed training seemed to have more positive effects, as well as longevity. 

The Source: Information for this article was taken from a National Institutes of Health news release published on Feb. 10, 2026. This story was reported from San Jose.  

HealthNewsScienceU.S.