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Originally posted by JoelJarlow:
Are there good things we can do for our brains? Staying mentally fit is really important to me, as I know it is to most people in my generation. I’ve heard physical exercise and brain fitness are interrelated, so I’ve been keeping up on that, but does anyone do brain exercises? Do they work?

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In the United States, consumers are expected to spend $80 million this year on brain exercise products, up from $2 million in 2005. Advertising for these products often emphasizes the claim that they are designed by scientists or based on scientific research. To be charitable, we might call them inspired by science — not to be confused with actually proven by science...

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One form of training, however, has been shown to maintain and improve brain health — physical exercise. In humans, exercise improves what scientists call “executive function,” the set of abilities that allows you to select behavior that’s appropriate to the situation, inhibit inappropriate behavior and focus on the job at hand in spite of distractions. Executive function includes basic functions like processing speed, response speed and working memory, the type used to remember a house number while walking from the car to a party.

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So instead of spending money on computer games or puzzles to improve your brain’s health, invest in a gym membership. Or just turn off the computer and go for a brisk walk.

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Originally posted by Gruvholmes:
This topic is everywhere. A lot of people joke about their “senior moments,” but lately more and more people have asked for suggestions about how to stay on the ball. Some of the info on the internet is kind of hard to sift through, but there have been some promising developments with computer-based cognitive exercises. I turned up some interesting information on a brain fitness program from a company called Posit Science, it was proven effective by a full-fledged clinical trial (the IMPACT study, I think). I think stuff like that is really exciting – of course physical exercise is important, too.

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Originally posted by Gruvholmes:
This topic is everywhere. A lot of people joke about their “senior moments,” but lately more and more people have asked for suggestions about how to stay on the ball. Some of the info on the internet is kind of hard to sift through, but there have been some promising developments with computer-based cognitive exercises. I turned up some interesting information on a brain fitness program from a company called Posit Science, it was proven effective by a full-fledged clinical trial (the IMPACT study, I think). I think stuff like that is really exciting – of course physical exercise is important, too.