新的研究发现，经常走亲访友、参加集会或去教堂的老年人较那些很少参加上述活动的老年人拥有更好的认知能力。该研究共分析了1138例、年龄平均为80岁的老年人的相关情况。在刚开始实验时，没有一个老年人存在认知功能受损的迹象，随后每年评估这些老年人的认知功能（如记忆、观察速度等）和收集与社交相关的信息，经过为期５年的观察发现，经常参加社交活动的老年人之认知减退幅度仅为很少参加社交活动的老年人之四分之一。

上述结果提示，社交活动可以显著改善老年人的脑功能！更多资讯，请参阅原文：

Socializing May Keep Elderly Minds Sharp

Those who mingled the most showed the least cognitive decline, researchers report

WEDNESDAY, May 4 (HealthDay News) -- Being sociable can help keep your brain healthy as you age, researchers report.

The team at Rush University Medical Center found that elderly people with the highest levels of social activity -- doing things such as visiting friends, going to parties or attending church -- showed much lower levels of cognitive decline than those who were the least socially active.

The study included 1,138 adults, average age 80, who are participants in the ongoing Rush Memory and Aging Project. At the start of the study, none of the participants had any signs of cognitive impairment. They were assessed annually and provided information about their social activities.

The study participants were tested for various types of cognitive function, including memory, perceptual speed (the ability to quickly and accurately compare things) and visuospatial ability (the capacity to visually perceive the spatial relationship between objects).

Over an average of five years, those who were the most socially active experienced only one-fourth the rate of cognitive decline as those with the lowest levels of social activity. The effect was independent of other factors that can play a role in cognitive decline, such as age, physical activity and general health.

The study was published online April 8 in the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society.

It's not clear how social activity may affect cognitive decline, but one possibility is that "social activity challenges older adults to participate in complex interpersonal exchanges, which could promote or maintain efficient neural networks in a case of 'use it or lose it,'" lead researcher Bryan James, a postdoctoral fellow in the epidemiology of aging and dementia at Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, said in a Rush news release.

Further research is needed to learn whether programs designed to increase older adults' social activity could delay or prevent cognitive decline, he added.

SOURCE: Rush University Medical Center, news release, April 25, 2011