Completing a fiendish jigsaw certainly engages many areas of the brain, but genetics and other lifestyle factors also play their part
‘T
hat’s a very strong statement,” cautions Roxi Carare, professor of clinical neuroanatomy at the University of Southampton. “A more appropriate way to put it is: puzzles help delay the onset and worsening of the symptoms of dementia.”
Dementia is an umbrella term for conditions that lead to a decline in cognitive function. Some kinds have been linked to poor waste removal from the brain.
“Any time we perform a task, the area of the brain responsible for that task needs more blood,” says Carare. “That forces the blood vessels to open up and feed the brain. When they do, they also help clear waste. For both processes to work, the vessel walls need to be flexible.”
