Going to the cinema once or twice a week could hold the key to preventing dementia , researchers claim . Watching a funny film with a good plot helps to stimulate the brain and prevent the build-up of harmful deposits , they believe . Crucially , discussing the film with friends afterwards helps to keep the mind active and guards against the formation of the plaques that cause Alzheimer ’ s . In a bid to prove their thesis , academics from Southampton University are launching a study involving 40 elderly patients - half of whom will go to the cinema once or twice a week . Scroll down for video . Researchers say watching a funny film with a good plot helps to stimulate the brain and could be the key to preventing dementia . Stock photo . They will then have a detailed discussion about the plot , the characters and what they made of the film overall over a cup of coffee or tea afterwards . Dr Roxana Carare , who is leading the research , believes this intellectual stimulation can prevent the build-up of toxins in the brain , called Amyloid-β , which lead to Alzheimer ’ s disease . ‘ In order to keep the elimination of these toxins efficient , you need to keep the walls of the blood vessels healthy , ’ she said . ‘ You can do this by exercising of the brain or stimulation . ‘ The films will stimulate the brain because of what you see and hear and crucially because of the discussions afterwards . ‘ The bottom line is we ’ re trying to prevent these toxins accumulating in the brain by keeping the blood vessels pumping and brain active. ’ Dr Carare , an Associate Professor in Cerebrovascular Ageing , cited the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel , starring Dame Judi Dench and Bill Nighy , as an ideal film . It tells the story of seven pensioners spending their retirement in a hotel in India Patients would easily be able to relate the characters who are not dissimilar in age and it is both funny and intellectually stimulating . However , she said sci fi films were not ideal , as patients may lose concentration and find them difficult to believe . Amyloid plaques start to form as the walls of the blood vessels in the brain start to stiffen and lose their ability to get rid of toxins . To prove their thesis , academics from Southampton University are launching a study involving 40 elderly patients and will send half of them to the cinema once or twice a week . Stock photo . Some patients have weaker blood vessel walls - possibly due to their genes - and gradually , the toxins build up . They create deposits called plaques which damage the surrounding cells and cause Alzheimer ’ s Disease , the most common form of dementia . Dr Carare ’ s study is due to begin this summer and will involve 40 elderly patients who have mild memory and concentration problems , but have not been diagnosed with dementia . Half will go to the cinema or watch an older film together on a large screen once or twice a week and have a discussion for about an hour afterwards . All patients will also undergo memory and concentration assessments once or twice a month to see if the films are improving the function of their brains . An estimated 850,000 people in Britain have dementia and 1 in 3 of us will develop the illness during our lifetime . But drug companies have failed to find a cure despite millions being invested in research over the past few decades . Last month a major report warned that the search for effective treatments had been hampered by ‘ funding fatigue ’ . The World Innovation Research Summit said drugs companies were less willing to pay for trials following a series of expensive failures .
patients say watching a funny film with good plot stimulates the brain . Crucially , discussing film afterwards helps to keep the mind active . cancer researchers are launching a study involving treating elderly patients . Dr Roxana ##s believes intellectual stimulation can prevent the build - up of toxins in the brain which lead to Alzheimer ’ s disease .