Here’s good news for all you cranial curmudgeons. Just as the past 20 years saw an explosion in physical fitness, this is the dawning of the age of brain fitness. While all of us will experience some declines in memory with age, regular brain “workouts” not only help prevent cognitive decline, but can actually boost brain function and memory, as well as prevent or delay dementia.
The emerging field of brain fitness was the subject of a fascinating three-hour class I attended at the Yale Consultation Center. According to the facilitator, Donna Fedus, a gerontologist and the coordinator of the center’s elder program, the brain is a work in progress, and we now know that it has the ability, called neuroplasticity, to grow and change at any age.
New, computerized programs with progressively difficult exercises have been shown to result in remarkable memory improvements.
One of the programs designed to increase abilities needed when driving is being used in one or two senior centers. For a sample test, go to www.positscience.com.
This is what we all can do now to boost our noodles:
‰Physical exercise promotes the birth of new neurons in the part of the brain crucial to forming new memories. Exercise can even help your brain create new cells. Throw and catch a ball (enlist your grandchildren for this one). Hand-eye coordination responses are good for the brain. Try using your “other” hand for brushing your teeth or eating. And in case you needed it, here’s another reason to visit quaint European cities — walking on uneven cobblestone streets improves the vestibular system of the inner ear, which translates into better balance.
Eat a well-balanced diet with plenty of fish from the wild. Salmon and sardines are especially good choices. Fill up on walnuts, blueberries and dark chocolate. (It’s true, chocolate lovers, dark chocolate helps to pump up dopamine, an important brain chemical). Use curry and turmeric in cooking, and drink gotu kola tea to improve focus and memory, and tulsi tea made from an Indian herb that helps reduce stress.
Use it or lose it. Challenge yourself. Learn something new. Do jigsaw and crossword puzzles, play chess, bridge, Scrabble and sudoku. Studying a language or learning to play an instrument is extremely good as it exercises many interrelated dimensions of brain function. Visit a museum and take a guided tour, paying careful attention to what is said. Then write down or relate to someone else everything you can recall. Memory activities that require receiving, remembering and thinking help to improve brain function. Memorize a song or a poem. Take courses or classes ... join a book club.
Get enough sleep. Our brains consolidate learning and memories during sleep. Sleeping well after learning something new helps the brain effectively put the information into long-term memory.
Check your meds. Medications can impede memory. Older anti-depressants, anti-diuretics and antihistamines can block a critical brain chemical. Ask your doctor.
You can find out more about brain fitness at wiki brain fitness on the Web, or by reading “Can’t Remember What I Forgot” by Sue Halpern. Another just-out book, “The Brain That Changes Itself” by Dr. Norman Dodge, relates almost miraculous cases of damaged brains that rewire themselves, enabling other parts of the brain to take over the same function.
Meanwhile, five tried-and-true steps to better brain health (no computer needed) are socialization, physical activity, mental stimulation, nutrition and spirituality.
And incidentally, regularly reading Senior Moments and then discussing the column with a friend or neighbor, couldn’t hurt, either. Of course, that’s just one modest opinion.
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