‘Use-it-or-lose-it’ brain theory put to the test

[Al-khiyal]

Mind exercises help keep seniors sharp for years to come

Brief sessions of brain exercise can have long-lasting benefits for elderly people, helping them stay mentally fit for at least five years, one of the most rigorous tests of the “use-it-or-lose-it” theory suggests.

For people age 73 on average, just 10 sessions — less time than it takes to stay physically fit — helped keep their brains sharp.

The brain training involved hour-long classes and included exercises done on a computer. While it is uncertain if similar results would occur with mental exercise done at home, other research has shown that intellectual tasks such as crossword puzzles and reading can help keep the brain sharp as people grow old.

The study is “the toughest test of these hypotheses to date,” said Jeff Elias, chief of cognitive aging at the behavioral science research branch of the National Institute on Aging, which helped pay for the $15 million study.

The study appears in Wednesday’s Journal of the American Medical Association. It was led by Sherry Willis, a human-development professor at Penn State University.

Age-related mental decline is expected to affect 84 million people worldwide by 2040, according to an accompanying editorial.

Nearly 3,000 men and women in six cities — Baltimore, Birmingham, Alabama; Boston; Detroit; Indianapolis; and State College, Pennsylvania — participated in the study. Most were white; about one-fifth were black.

They were randomly assigned to six-week training sessions in either memory, reasoning or speedy mental processing, and were tested before and after. A comparison group received no training but was also tested.

About 700 of the 1,877 people who completed all five years also got short refresher sessions one year and three years after their initial training.

From grocery lists to bus schedules

The memory training included organizing a 15-item grocery list into categories like dairy, vegetables and meat to make it easier to remember and locate items.

The reasoning training taught participants how to see patterns in everyday tasks such as bus schedules and taking medicines at different doses and times.

The speed training had participants quickly identify flashing objects on a computer screen. Those are some of the same reaction skills used while driving.

Nearly 90 percent of the speed training group, 74 percent of the reasoning group and 26 percent of the memory group showed almost immediate improvements in scores on tests of the mental functions they were trained in. The improvements in most cases lasted throughout the five years of the study and were most notable in people who got refresher sessions.

The comparison group participants also showed some improvement — perhaps just from the stimulation of being tested — but it was not as great.

Everyday results not as great

After five years, the participants assessed their ability to perform everyday tasks such as shopping, driving and managing their finances. And the researchers rated the participants in their everyday functioning.

Only the group that received reasoning training reported substantially less decline than the comparison group. And only one group actually performed better, in the researchers’ opinion — those who got refresher sessions in speed training.

Willis said bigger differences probably were not seen because the participants were all pretty healthy throughout the study.

Sheryl Zimmerman, a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researcher on aging, said the study is important even if it doesn’t show that mental training is a cure-all.

“The fact that a modest amount of cognitive training had ANY results five years later ... is notable,” said Zimmerman, who was not involved in the research.

‘Use-it-or-lose-it’ brain theory put to the test

[Bent_Bladi]

I've heard of that before... I remember a long time ago, my 7th grade summer school teacher was like SUPER old and at the end of class she'd have us do "brain excersizes". We asked her why and she said that she was doing it mostly for herself so she can age "gracefully"...

[Cheba_Mami]

Use-it-or-lose-it? use it! it's a good idea to train your brain.

[eyad]

so why dont you provide such exercises here..
this is gonna be great. (Y)

[Bent_Bladi]

I hear sudoku is good for the brain

[piccolomondo]

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ISBN 0814479944 | PDF 1.7 Mb | 200 Pages

“ CROSS-TRAIN YOUR BRAIN A Mental Fitness Program for Maximizing Creativity and Achieving Success When you change the way you think, you can change your life. That's the message and the goal of this dynamic mental workout created by creativity guru Stephen Eiffert. Cross-Train Your Brain shows readers how to break through the constraints of career pigeonholing, tedious routine, and rote learning to recapture the power of their true creative natures. Creativity is not just the realm of artists and inventors. Everyone is born with creativity, and everyone can learn to use it to sharpen their problem-solving skills, improve relationships, embrace change and challenge, and build positive attitudes. The book supplies tools, exercises, and techniques proven to boost mental effectiveness and creative thinking skills. Drawing on the fields of psychology, philosophy, and creativity, the book presents a practical action plan for achieving peak creativity-the first step in creating top-performing organizations. STEPHEN D. EIFFERT (Springfield, MO) is a nationally acclaimed speaker and consultant. In addition, he has developed and presented his innovative Creativity Retreat for companies such as Dial, Motorola, Time Warner, and Microsoft. ”

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[Cheba_Mami]

Thank you all

More on brain exercise:


Travel and excercise:
Travel is another good way to stimulate your brain. It worked for our ancestors, the early Homo sapiens. Their nomadic lifestyle provided a tremendous stimulation for their brains that led to the development of superior tools and survival skills. In comparison, the now-extinct Neanderthal was a species that for thousands of years apparently did not venture too far from their homes. (Maybe they were simply content with their lives – in contrast to the seldom-satisfied sapien.)
Early humans gained a crucial evolutionary edge from the flexibility and innovation required by their strategic lifestyle, which also led to a more diverse diet that allowed their brains to rapidly evolve.

Reading and games like Bingo...
Consider your brain a muscle, and find opportunities to flex it. "Read, read, read," says Dr. Amir Soas of Case Western Reserve University Medical School in Cleveland. Do crossword puzzles. Play Scrabble. Start a new hobby or learn to speak a foreign language. "Anything that stimulates the brain to think." Also, watch less television, because "your brain goes into neutral," he said.
Challenging the brain early in life is crucial to building up more "cognitive reserve" to counter brain-damaging disease, according to Dr. David Bennett of Chicago's Rush University. And, reading-habits prior to age 18 are a key predictor of later cognitive function.

A cognitive psychologist in England found that when elderly people regularly played bingo, it helped minimize their memory loss and bolster their hand-eye coordination. Bingo seemed to help players of all ages remain mentally sharp

Walking benefits the brain:
Walking is especially good for your brain, because it increases blood circulation and the oxygen and glucose that reach your brain. Walking is not strenuous, so your leg muscles don't take up extra oxygen and glucose like they do during other forms of exercise. As you walk, you effectively oxygenate your brain. Maybe this is why walking can "clear your head" and help you to think better.
Movement and exercise increase breathing and heart rate so that more blood flows to the brain, enhancing energy production and waste removal. Studies show that in response to exercise, cerebral blood vessels can grow, even in middle-aged sedentary animals.

Walking Improved Memory-Study

Studies of senior citizens who walk regularly showed significant improvement in memory skills compared to sedentary elderly people.
Walking also improved their learning ability, concentration, and abstract reasoning. Stroke risk was cut by 57% in people who walked as little as 20 minutes a day.

Wake the brian in the morning...
In the morning, while you're still in bed, slowly begin to move your toes – any way that feels good. Wriggle, scrunch, and stretch. Move all your toes up and down several times, or work just your big toes. Wiggling your toes activates nerves that stimulate your brain and internal organs.
Do this exercise first thing each morning or after sitting for an extended period of time. It will help you to wake-up and become alert more quickly. Your whole body may feel pleasantly energized. Most important, your first steps – and those throughout the day – will be safer ones. (Falls are the second leading cause of spinal cord and brain injury among people over 65 years old.)

read more:The Human Brain - Exercise