Minds in Motion Stay Sharp

At 87, Katie Johnson is convinced she has a surefire way to ward off Alzheimer's: The foxtrot.
The retired schoolteacher spends every other Friday fox-trotting the night away.
She also swims five days a week. She teaches piano at a local senior center. She attends Bible study classes. She plays Scrabble and bridge.

And she tools around Indianapolis in a red Corvette.

Research suggests those nights spent whirling around the dance floor and days motoring around town in her snappy car are probably increasing Johnson's chances of avoiding the dreaded disease of debilitating memory loss.

The best Alzheimer's prevention might be this simple: Go have fun.

Researchers are now finding the best activities are those that challenge the brain, are done with other people and might even involve a good workout, such as a fast spin around the dance floor.
"Retirement is no excuse for an idle brain," says Murali Doraiswamy, an Alzheimer's expert at Duke University. "If you're not active, then you're more susceptible to the onslaught of Alzheimer's."

No book club or dance step has the power of vanquishing Alzheimer's, a disease caused partly by genetic factors, doctors say. Still, research suggests that complex leisure activities could offer seniors, even those at high risk for the disease, a better shot at delaying its onset.
For the full text of this article, written by Kathleen Fackelmann, USA TODAY, log onto http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2005-01-24-alzheimers-cover_x.htm.