Can Mental Calisthenics Save the Aging Brain?

Each year more baby boomers turn 60, and concerns about dementia or Alzheimer’s disease are clearly on their minds. Everyone’s heard the jokes about “senior moments” and “Old Timer’s” disease, but to the older set of baby boomers, mental sluggishness is no laughing matter.

It’s estimated that by 2030, the number of Americans with dementia will double, to about 5.2 million individuals. It’s estimated that those 65 and older with Alzheimer’s disease will increase by fifty percent, to about 7.7 million individuals. If these estimates prove accurate, saving the aging mind is serious business.

Baby boomers have long been proactive about physical health, probably more than any previous generation. Gyms and recreational facilities abound, and many baby boomers take a lot of pride in keeping their physical bodies young, whether that be with cosmetic surgery or physical activity and a healthy diet. Now, their concerns are also about hanging onto their mental acuity. As a result, “brain gyms” are opening around the country, especially in retirement communities. There are also a growing number of software programs for personal computers designed to stimulate the mind and stave off mental decline.

The brain gyms focus on mental gymnastics or mental calisthenics, both for fun and to maintain mental functioning. The gyms consist of an exercise room with plenty of exercise equipment. But this isn’t your usual exercise equipment for the body. Instead, the room contains computers loaded with brain fitness programs and areas for participating in brain activities, such as cards, puzzles, and drawing or art projects. There are also video games developed specifically for brain exercising.

Although research is limited as to how much mental exercise really helps seniors solve problems or perform better on certain tests, developers of brain game programs claim that mental exercise will strengthen attention and improve the aging brain’s processing abilities, just like physical exercise increases physical strength and stamina.

Several companies have come out with various games and programs for brain fitness. Nintendo has developed and sold over a million copies of “Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day.” Admittedly, this is game is more about fun than assessing one’s mental fitness, but it’s been a hot commodity just the same. Other products, such as Brain Fitness and MindFit from Cognifit Ltd. provide geometric puzzles and lists of recitations, which they claim (and support with some evidence) have shown brain changes in response to stimulation from puzzles and memory games.

Although there is a lot of interest in the aging brain, the number of studies done with regard to the actual benefit of brain calisthenics is small. According to the National Institute on Aging, clinical trials published in the Journal of American Medical Association showed that while mental exercise didn’t help seniors perform real-life tasks better, there were improvements in some areas. In other words, many more studies are needed. In the meantime, baby boomers will no doubt continue to seek out ways to save their aging brains.

Reference:

• National Institute on Aging