Good Brain Health!
February 13th 2010 10:21
Signature Tune
From abc2news.com
Reported by: Kelly Groft
We need to stay in good shape, for our bodies and our mind. Research shows brain workouts can stimulate memory and even fend off dementia. Now there are games that can help you stay sharp.
Cassie Clark works to exercise her brain and sees a difference, 'I simply started playing with it just out of curiosity. And I discovered it made my memory better.'
High tech, brain enhancing games are all the rage and it's not just for seniors. As baby boomers race to retirement the sales of these so called 'Brain Games' are expected to jump to five billion by 2015! Dan Michel if the founder of The Dakim Brain Fitness System, and says business is booming, 'We have exercises appropriate for people with normal brain function who want to use it to protect their brains today and maintain their cognitive function as well as for people who already are suffering from dementia.'
And Neurologists agree. Daniel Kantor says studies show a fit brain can increase mental alertness and delay age related memory problems, 'We have connections between our nerves, so we have neuronal networks. When you strengthen these neuronal networks, you make learning better and easier.'
Mayo Clinic researchers took a look at software by PostitsScience on a group of otherwise healthy adults over 65. They found an increase in mental speed in about 60% of game players, compared to 7% of the control group, 'That means by spending time with one computerized software or another - it's probably not special about what computerized software- it looks like we can exercise and train your brain for better memory.'
A french researcher also compared 10 year old who played Nintendo's Brain Age with others who either performed puzzles with pencils and paper or simply went to school as usual, The results: the brain game group showed no significant memory improvement compared to the traditional groups, 'By working your brain, you probably are going to have a better outcome later in life. But that might not be using complex software. That might be reading books, that might be solving puzzles.'
But game makers insist they have an edge, that their games are more engaging, making people more likely to want to play. And continue playing, 'Doing it long term and doing it consistently is the key to the success of using brain fitness exercise. Then making it so much fun that people want to do it is essential.'
As for the cost: brain games run the gamut, from free internet downloads to home versions that could set you back several hundred dollars
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