How to Keep Your Brain From Aging

By ROBERT J. DAVIS
Special to THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
October 19, 2004; Page D4

If physical activity can help keep your body younger, do mental exercises have a similar effect on your brain?

A growing number of books, videos, classes and Internet services promote specific types of "mental aerobics" that they claim can improve memory, sharpen thinking and delay or prevent dementia as people age.

In fact, research suggests that staying mentally active is beneficial, but there's no hard evidence that certain activities are better than others.

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Many brain-boosting programs focus on tricks for improving memory and concentration, such as paying closer attention, associating words and names with visual images, repeating information aloud and breaking information down into smaller pieces, which research shows can be effective. A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association of people 65 and older found 26% performed better on memory tests after 10 training sessions. Likewise, 87% could process information more quickly and 74% had better problem-solving skills after undergoing training in each of those areas.

Classes at senior centers and elsewhere often provide similar training, as do Web sites such as happyneuron.com and memoryconcepts.com, which charge $100 or more for a one-year membership. However, many experts distinguish between short-term training to improve memory or reasoning skills and ongoing mental activities that stimulate the brain. They say the latter is what matters most for slowing overall cognitive decline and perhaps heading off dementia.

To that end, some programs push puzzles and games that challenge verbal, mathematical, visual or spatial abilities. Others, such as the "neurobic" exercises developed by Lawrence Katz, an author and scientist at Duke University, involve doing routine activities in new ways (e.g. writing with your nondominant hand) in order to stimulate the brain and get it off autopilot.

A recent study of 800 Catholic clergy members age 65 and older found that a variety of intellectually stimulating activities, including reading, playing games and going to museums, were associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer's disease. Likewise, research involving people over 75, published last year in the New England Journal of Medicine, concluded that those who frequently read, played board games, played musical instruments or danced had a reduced risk of dementia. While these studies don't prove cause and effect, they suggest that any intellectually stimulating activity is probably beneficial for the brain.

If following a formal program helps motivate you, there's nothing wrong with doing so. In fact, some experts think classes offer added intellectual stimulation through interaction with others. But brain classes, Web sites and books aren't necessary to keep your mind active. Choose activities you will enjoy and do regularly, especially ones that involve something unfamiliar such as learning a new language. Try doing routine tasks in new ways. And don't forget the importance of staying physically fit, following a healthful diet and controlling stress, all of which may help your mind in addition to your body.

© 2003 Wayne Hollopeter, M.D. All Rights Reserved
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