So is your doctor prescribing vocabulary work? Or maybe your doctor can prescribe swearing in multiple languages.
December 2015
Some people suffer incipient dementia as they get older. To make up
for this loss, the brain's cognitive reserve is put to the test.
Researchers from the University of Santiago de Compostela have studied
what factors can help to improve this ability and they conclude that
having a higher level of vocabulary is one such factor.
'Cognitive
reserve' is the name given to the brain's capacity to compensate for
the loss of its functions. This reserve cannot be measured directly;
rather, it is calculated through indicators believed to increase this
capacity.
A research project at the University of Santiago de
Compostela (USC) has studied how having a wide vocabulary influences
cognitive reserve in the elderly.
As Cristina Lojo Seoane, from
the USC, co-author of the study published in the journal 'Anales de
Psicología' (Annals of Psychology), explains to SINC: "We focused on
level of vocabulary as it is considered an indicator of crystallised
intelligence (the use of previously acquired intellectual skills). We
aimed to deepen our understanding of its relation to cognitive reserve."
The
research team chose a sample of 326 subjects over the age of 50 - 222
healthy individuals and 104 with mild cognitive impairment. They then
measured their levels of vocabulary, along with other measures such as
their years of schooling, the complexity of their jobs and their reading
habits.
They also analysed the scores they obtained in various
tests, such as the vocabulary subtest of the 'Wechsler Adult
Intelligence Scale' (WAIS) and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test.
"With
a regression analysis we calculated the probability of impairment to
the vocabulary levels of the participants," Lojo Seoane continues.
The results revealed a greater prevalence of mild cognitive
impairment in participants who achieved a lower vocabulary level score.
"This led us to the conclusion that a higher level of vocabulary, as a
measure of cognitive reserve, can protect against cognitive
impairment," the researcher concludes.
