Joint research by Taichung-based Wizcare Hospital and Japan’s Osaka University found that linguistic training helps activate brain functions in elderly people.
The hospital on Nov. 30 announced its findings from research on the use of linguistic training in elderly people’s rehabilitation, which showed that ongoing primary reading could activate their brains.
The National Tsing Hua University (NTHU), Taichung Veterans General Hospital (TVGH) and the Chung Shan Medical University also participated in the research, and the results are to be published in the geriatrics journal Experimental Gerontology this month, Wizcare Hospital superintendent Hsu Ching-chi (許景琦) said.
Photo: Tsai Shu-yuan, Taipei Times
The research was funded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, thanks to Osaka University professor Toshiharu Nakai’s efforts in applying for a grant, he said.
The research was conducted from 2022 to last year, where 40 healthy Japanese aged 65 to 90 were divided into two groups. The experimental group was required to read Japanese for one hour every day for a month, Hsu said.
As linguistic training had proven to significantly slow down the deterioration of cognitive functions in people with Alzheimer’s disease, Hsu said he assumed linguistic training could benefit healthy old people as well.
Nuclear magnetic resonance examination showed that the gray and white matter in the brains of participants from the experimental group significantly increased, Hsu said.
NTHU Artificial Intelligence Center professor Yang Fan-pei (楊梵孛) said the gray matter — where cerebral neurons are located — and white matter, which is responsible for neurotransmission, would thin out and even disappear in people with cognitive impairment.
However, the research showed that the gray and white matter could grow thick in elderly people who read texts and undergo pronunciation training for as long as one month, she said.
Combining easily-pronounced words with harder ones could achieve that effect, Yang said, adding that activities such as singing or playing games also help delay brain degeneration in the elderly.
TVGH Family Medicine Department director Chu Wei-min (朱為民) said when he was studying in Japan, he had noticed that Japanese nursing homes provided cognitive training and physical activity courses for residents with early dementia.
Courses on simple mathematics and aerobic exercise or strength training were used to enhance brain and body functions, effectively delaying dementia progression and improving mild cognitive impairment, he said.
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