The oldest of the baby boomers are turning 70 this year, and many are searching for ways to keep their minds sharp. Taking up a mentally challenging new hobby, such as quilting or photography, can be the key, according to a study published in Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience.

Researchers at the University of Texas believed that activities which required sustained mental effort could maintain cognitive ability in aging minds. In their study, they compared brain activity in older adults who performed high-challenge activities, such as digital photography, to those adults who engaged in low-challenge activities that didn't require active learning, such as listening to classical music.

All of the volunteers underwent a series of cognitive tests and brain scans using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), an MRI technology that measures brain activity by identifying changes connected with blood flow.

Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: high-challenge, low-challenge, or placebo.

The high-challenge group spent at least 15 hours per week for 14 weeks learning skills in digital photography, quilting, or a combination of both that became more difficult as the test progressed.

The low-challenge group met for 15 hours per week to socialize and engage in activities related to subjects such as travel and cooking with no active learning component.

The placebo group participated in low-demand cognitive tasks such as listening to music, playing simple games, or watching classic movies.

All volunteers were tested before and after the 14-week period and a subset was retested a year later.

At the end of the testing period, people in the high-challenge group demonstrated better memories and increased efficiency in the areas of the brain associated with attention and understanding the meaning of words. Some of the increase, which is typical of that found in young adults, lasted a year.

They were also able to modulate brain activity — slowing brain activity when demands eased — and made more efficient use of resources. This change in modulation was not observed in the low-challenge group.

The study results showed that mentally demanding activities may be neuroprotective and an important factor in maintaining a healthy brain into late adulthood.

"The present findings provide some of the first experimental evidence that mentally challenging leisure activities can actually change brain function, and that it is possible that such interventions can restore levels of brain activity to a more youth-like state," said senior author Denise C. Park, Ph.D.

"The findings superficially confirm the familiar adage regarding cognitive aging of 'Use it or lose it,'" said the study's first author Ian McDonough.