Brain Training and Exercise Provide Lasting Effects on Memory

New research reveals that training the brain and physical exercise can have lasting effects on recall. If this is true, it will be a boon to many seniors worried about losing short term memory and getting such diseases as Alzheimers.

487 adults over age 65 were used in a study to demonstrate that training the brain can help build memory skills that last. Using a software called The Brain Fitness Program, participants were able to improve their processing speed by more than 130%. Substantial gains in the areas of memory and attention, considerably more than a control group who only heard lectures as opposed to having specific exercises to train the brain. The study also found that participants made gains in activities of daily living. The program consists of six separate exercises that are designed based upon the plasticity of the human brain. This plasticity allows the brain to form new pathways when stimulated appropriately. More and more products are being developed in order to build memory. These are called brain exercises or brain teasers. Some of them are games that not only build memory but are fun as well, that can be done individually or in groups. Some of these work with children so that they learn to develop memory skills at a young age. On the other hand, some of the information found in developing exercises for the young, has been used in helping develop games and routines to help older adults as well. Brain exercises, according to a study out of Seattle, have been shown to improve memory. In fact reading magazines has been noted as a way to reduce the onset of dementia. It’s not too late to benefit from certain exercises even if an individual is over 70 years of age. Such activities as reading books, playing games and doing crafts have been shown to reduce memory loss by one-third. Regular physical exercise has also been shown to help brain function. Most age-related memory losses have been shown to result from inactivity both mentally and physically. Information on building memory is likely helpful for seniors as they age and seek to stabilize or even improve memory skills, revealing that it may indeed never be too late to learn new tricks.