Leisure Activities and Dementia. An article appearing in the Los Angeles Times discussed the study “Leisure Activities and the Risk of Dementia in the Elderly” (New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 348, pp. 2508–2516) by J. Verghese et al. The article in the Times, titled “Crosswords Reduce Risk of Dementia,” contained the following statement: “Elderly people who frequently read, do crossword puzzles, practice a musical instrument or play board games cut their risk of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia by nearly two-thirds compared with people who seldom do such activities.” Comment on the statement in quotes, keeping in mind the type of study for which causation can be reasonably inferred.