October 25, 2025

Crossword puzzles good for your brain

Nice News -  Make room, crossword puzzles: A recent study out of McGill University found that a gamified online training program may help combat age-related cognitive decline. Called BrainHQ, the program significantly increased production of acetylcholine, a chemical in the brain that naturally decreases as we age and dwindles even more for those with dementia.

The activities, which take less than five minutes each and can be completed on nearly any computer or mobile device, include exercises in brain speed, memory, navigation, intelligence, attention, and people skills.

After completing them for 30 minutes a day over a 10-week span, participants experienced restored health in the system that produces acetylcholine at “levels typically seen in someone 10 years younger,” per lead author Dr. Etienne de Villers-Sidani. He said in a press release: “This is the first time any intervention, drug or non-drug, has been shown to do that in humans.”

So what’s next? Posit Science, the company behind BrainHQ, has already been awarded a grant to test if those with mild cognitive impairment, a pre-dementia condition, will see improvement after completing the exercises. In the meantime, you can start playing for free.

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