Cecily O’Connor
RedwoodAge.com

Baby boomers focused on physical fitness shouldn’t overlook cognitive exercises to boost their overall health.

From the game Private Eye.

So-called brain fitness workouts are being touted as a way to slow some natural effects of aging and delay the onset of memory-loss disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease.

Games that strengthen major brain functions such as memory and language may be especially attractive to baby boomers seeking to maintain cognitive health during middle age, as well as retired older adults lacking the mental activity or stimulation they used to receive on the job.

Happy Neuron just introduced 25 online games that can help strengthen the five major cognitive brain functions: memory; attention; language; executive functions focused on logic, problem solving and deductive reasoning; and visual and spatial, which help process information in a three-dimensional world and interpret visual information.

As boomers have aged, there's been increased attention surrounding the potential for memory loss. While more than 26 million people worldwide have Alzheimer's disease, a recent forecast by researchers at Johns Hopkins University concluded the number will quadruple by 2050. At that rate, one in 85 people will have the brain-destroying disease in 40 years.

Brain Health
Scientific data show that exercises aimed at strengthening mental agility can defer that natural process of aging, although each individual's progress is dependent upon many factors including their overall physical and social health, said Laura Fay, chief operating officer at Happy Neuron. The Mountain View, Calif.-based company has games that enable users to perform simple calculations that help alleviate symptoms of dementia by activating large regions of the brain.

For example, an executive function game called the Towers of Hanoi stimulates quick calculations by having users configure colored rings to match a target. Users can only move one ring at a time and must always put the rings in the right order according to size so that a larger ring can never be on top of a smaller ring. Overall, the game relies on problem-solving skills that challenge users to finish with a minimum number of moves, Fay said.

Another attention-testing game called Private Eye asks users to find the odd letter or symbol in a grid. The challenge is scanning the “visual field” and focusing attention on locating the one symbol or letter that’s different.

Access to the games comes with a $9.95 a month price tag, or an annual fee of $99.95. The company also is offering a seven-day free trial. Subscriptions also include a virtual coach who prepares workouts based on player usage and performance, Fay said.

Of course, there are brain fitness exercises that can be done independently, many of which are right underneath your nose. Reading new materials, taking new classes, working on a crossword puzzle or playing trivia games that test recall are among everyday activities that help sharpen skills, said Maria Carrillo, Ph.D. and director of medical and scientific relations at the Alzheimer's Association.

The association does not have a “set program” for recommending exercises, but encourages adults to test their mental activity in some form daily, Carrillo said. Like any physical workout, individuals who make brain exercises a habit will likely benefit the most, Fay added.

“The key is to get a cross-functional set of exercises so you exercise all the different cognitive functions of the brain,” she said.

Maintenance
Overall, the association encourages awareness through its “Maintain Your Brain” campaign, focused on helping adults stay mentally, socially and physically active, as well as maintain a low-fat, low-cholesterol brain-healthy diet. This is especially important for middle-age individuals seeking to prevent Alzheimer’s, Carillo said.

The campaign focuses on the “importance of living a better life in midlife so ultimately you can enjoy a fuller and independent life,” as the average lifespan increases, she said.

In addition, there are a growing number of web sites dedicated to brain fitness awareness. That includes SharpBrains, which focuses on science-based cognitive and emotional training research and programs. The site has a bunch of articles and resources for individuals concerned about brain health.