 Editor in Chief Bill   | 22 Sep 2025 6:37 a.m. PST |
Is it true that… doing puzzles prevents dementia?Completing a fiendish jigsaw certainly engages many areas of the brain, but genetics and other lifestyle factors also play their part… The Guardian: link |
35thOVI  | 22 Sep 2025 7:23 a.m. PST |
Well let me comment on that. I can only say….. What were we talking about? 🤔 |
 John the OFM | 22 Sep 2025 7:56 a.m. PST |
Explaining why the US Army's Old Guard band wears red coats to strangers, and thinking they're fascinated as they desperately edge away certainly sounds like dementia to me.
Try it sometime! Or, try lecturing them on how scarce rifles actually were in the American Revolution! That will certainly get them saying things like "Oh, what a sweet old man! But make sure he doesn't wander off…" |
| John the OFM | 22 Sep 2025 7:57 a.m. PST |
Hey Dear Editir! Make this into a Poll! |
| 79thPA | 22 Sep 2025 8:24 a.m. PST |
Not anymore than any other activity that engages the brain. |
martin goddard  | 22 Sep 2025 8:52 a.m. PST |
Can't hurt.
Probably helps.
martin
|
| robert piepenbrink | 22 Sep 2025 9:50 a.m. PST |
I'm inclined to regard miniature wargaming as a mental disorder itsalf. That said, any sort of mental exercise seems to build up "neural capacity" which postpones the point at which the dementia is observable. That's not the same thing as "prevents," but I'm sure we would all prefer to die before our mental decline becomes obvious. Layman's opinion: only three things (as opposed to activities) come up in the literature as improving or postponing dementia; the inevitable "grilled northern whitefish" maple syrup and water with a high percentage of silicates. Human dietary studies are notoriously unreliable, but one or more might actually work. And no doubt there's a genetic component. Everything else seems to boil down to "remain mentally active, and you'll be asymptomatic for longer." |
| Grattan54 | 22 Sep 2025 10:12 a.m. PST |
I forget, what was the question again? |
| Editor in Chief Bill | 22 Sep 2025 10:57 a.m. PST |
Not anymore than any other activity that engages the brain. The advantage is that the hobby would stimulate activity in multiple areas of the brain, depending on painting, playing, social interaction, researching, etc. |
 Herkybird | 22 Sep 2025 11:55 a.m. PST |
Dementia is primarily a condition which affects short term memory, and at least in the UK is only diagnosable as Dementia if it affects normal activities. Before that it is referred to as 'Mild Cognitive Impairment'.
Its not at all provable that strenuous mental activity, like wargaming can delay, slow down, or prevent progression of the condition, but there is a fair amount of empirical evidence to suggest mental activity, amongst other things like good diet and exercise, delays the symptoms of dementia. This is the increased 'Cognitive Reserve' alluded to above. Basically, if you have a bigger sand castle, it takes longer for the sea to break it down. |
| robert piepenbrink | 22 Sep 2025 12:17 p.m. PST |
"The advantage is that the hobby would stimulate activity in multiple areas of the brain, depending on painting, playing, social interaction, researching, etc." Based on the delightful notions that (a) any individual wargamer does all these, and (b) my increased neural capacity or Herky's cognitive reserve--same thing--is a bunch of reserve boxes somehow so arranged that they're all deployable to the Dementia Front and not just a single off-table reserve. No evidence of this I've ever run across, and I do keep an eye on the literature. (There's some family history to keep me interested.) Bill, miniature wargaming is a great hobby. As far as I'm concerned historical miniatures is the peak of that. It harms no one, and informs and provides amusement and relaxation for many of us. There's no reason to apolgize for it. But I don't believe it cures cancer either. |
| 14Bore | 22 Sep 2025 12:32 p.m. PST |
Let's hope so, I do suduko ( hard to extreme)and spider solitaire ( and it's evil) |
| John the OFM | 22 Sep 2025 12:53 p.m. PST |
Considering that my latest project is basically Cowboys and Indians, maybe I'm regressing. I'm looking for rules that say, basically "Bang! You're dead!"
"No I'm not! Saving throw! … Crap." Gone is my fixation of the right shade of green for the facings, or getting the lace correct. No more "Is that an Easy8 or a 75mm Sherman?" |
| Zephyr1 | 22 Sep 2025 2:47 p.m. PST |
Having to paint white straps on hundreds of Napoleonics is more a cause of insanity than dementia… ;-) |
| KSmyth | 22 Sep 2025 8:51 p.m. PST |
I think it's good for the brain. You've got rules that tell us how to play, and our games require us to apply those rules to a problem to solve. Hey, I'm 70 and primed for regression. Gaming, painting, it all keeps me mentally active and if I walk a little bit too, life is good. |
| John the OFM | 22 Sep 2025 11:14 p.m. PST |
+1 Zephyr1
I thought I was the only one having an issue with white straps. |
| huron725 | 23 Sep 2025 5:16 a.m. PST |
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| Wolfhag | 24 Sep 2025 10:16 a.m. PST |
Interpreting some rules requires more mental effort than doing crossword puzzles. Wolfhag |
 piper909 | 24 Sep 2025 4:25 p.m. PST |
Ha-Ho! Him make dice good roll, brain am fine, hoo-hah, toys fall down go boom what me worry? |
| jurgenation | 26 Sep 2025 11:49 a.m. PST |
No ..talking from experience..and not a good one.Horrible subject matter. |
| John the OFM | 28 Sep 2025 11:07 a.m. PST |
There's no reason to apolgize for it. In the Catholic Church, some saints were both "apologists" and "martyrs". The word "apologist" has, shall we say, evolved? |
| Uesugi Kenshin | 02 Oct 2025 4:00 p.m. PST |
Psilocybin is much better for your brain than puzzles according to research. So there's that. |
