As the population ages and neurobiology advances, many people are turning to brain exercises to keep their mental abilities intact. Brain-stimulating activities like crossword puzzles and memory games strengthen connections between neurons and foster cell growth. And recent research suggests that if you don't use it, you may lose it.
Memory
Memory exercises, such as learning a poem or memorizing a shopping list, can improve memory when combined with a healthy lifestyle. A 2005 study presented at the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology found that after two weeks of daily memory-boosting exercises, moderate activity and a healthy diet that included omega-3 fats and antioxidants, study subjects' brain scans showed a 5 percent increase in the area that is connected to working memory. Subjects also performed better on cognitive tests.
Attention
Brain Gym's creator Paul Dennison recommends bodily movement to stimulate whole-brain thinking. After a sustained period of focused attention, many people experience an inability to concentrate. His Brain Gym exercises, which incorporate elements of yoga, acupuncture and tai chi, are designed to reinvigorate the connection between the right and left brain hemispheres for more comprehensive thinking. For example, his Cross Crawl exercise involves moving one arm with the opposite leg and then the other. Since each brain hemisphere controls the opposite side of the body, both hemispheres are engaged in the exercise.
Balance and Dexterity Significance
Simple activities that require coordination such as patting one's head while rubbing one's stomach can preserve and improve motor skills. Geriatric specialist Dr. James Haefemeyer from HealthPartners believes these exercises are particularly helpful for older individuals, as improved balance coordination can help prevent falls. Fitness instructor Shayne Adair designs dexterity-building exercises for older adults. She suggests standing on one foot and tapping out clock numbers to practice balance.
Aerobic Activity Benefits
Physical exercise is as beneficial for enhanced brain function as it is for building strong muscles. Exercise helps develop new capillaries, which deliver oxygen and other nutrients to the brain. And a well-nourished brain is better able to learn new tasks. In fact, Dr. Brenda Anderson of State University of New York tested two sets of rats; one set was well-exercised and the other inactive. She found that the exercised rats were better able to track drops of water---a skill that requires memory and other higher brain functions---than the inactive ones.
Considerations
The growing interest in mental fitness has brought scores of computer-based brain exercise programs to the market that claim to sharpen mental faculties in a few minutes a day. Dr. Jessica Grahn of the United Kingdom's Medical Research Council's Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit tested the veracity of these claims. She found that, while the study subjects got better at the computer program's tests, their ability did not transfer over to other similar tasks. Dr. Elizabeth Zelinski of the University of South Carolina suggests instead that people pick an activity that they find both challenging and rewarding, such as learning a musical instrument or foreign language.
References
- "Santa Fe New Mexican"; Brain Gym Aims to Use Both Sides of Brain Through Movement; Claudette Sutton; August 2000
- "Telegraph-Herald"; Aerobic Workouts Good for More Than Just Body; Becky Sisko; May 2002
- "All Things Considered"; Brain Training Games Won't Pump Up IQs, Study Says; Melissa Block: April 2010
- "Mind, Mood and Memory"; Bulk Up Your Mind With Brain Exercises; March 2006
- "Star Tribune"; Sweat Equity: Rev Up the Brain While Practicing Motor Skills; Dee DePass; November 2009
