Do Mental Workouts Really Work?

Studies suggest some brain exercises may prevent cognitive decline, but researchers aren't sure which ones are best or why.

    Maintaining a healthy lifestyle isn’t just about your physical well-being, it also concerns your mental health. Like any part of your body, the brain needs the right balance of nutrients and exercise, especially as we get older and mental functions like memory and problem-solving skills start to decline.

    Physical activity and a healthy diet encourage good blood flow to the brain, reduce your risk of heart disease or stroke, and protect brain cells. Studies suggest that an active lifestyle can even prevent brain shrinkage. A healthy lifestyle is the best protection against anything that would happen to you as you age.

   Less certain is what role “brain exercises” such as crossword puzzles and games can play in slowing down or preventing dementia-related illnesses like Alzheimer’s disease, which affects over 5 million Americans.

The impact of Alzheimer’s is huge, “If we can influence when someone will get it — if they’re destined to — or delay it, we could cut the prevalence rate significantly.”

    The gradual mental decline that typically begins in middle age — what some refer to as “getting rusty” — is largely due to altered connections between brain cells. Putting your brain to work on new and different challenges can help build up those neural connections. It’s frequently referred to as the “use it or lose it” principle.

    There is data that suggests keeping your mind active is important. Scientific evidence linking low levels of education to a higher risk of Alzheimer’s later in life further supports the idea that mental stimulation keeps the mind sharper longer. We need to develop tools or exercises that will keep the brain from deteriorating.

    Research has suggested that certain activities such as reading, puzzles and crafts may reduce the risk of mild cognitive impairment, which could signal the onset of Alzheimer’s. A recent study adds video games to the list of activities. Researchers at the University of Iowa found that people over the age of 50 who played the game “Road Tour” (later re-named “Double Decision”) for at least 10 hours showed as much as seven years of cognitive improvement.

   “Age-related cognitive decline is real, it’s happening, and it starts earlier and then continues steadily,” said lead author of the study Fredric Wolinsky, a UI professor of public health. “We know that we can stop this decline and actually restore cognitive processing speed to people.”

     Tools or exercises that will keep the brain from deteriorating, [but] on the science side, we need to continue to prove these exercises have a definitive impact on the brain like we think they do. The key, he said, is figuring out “what type of exercises actually work.”

The UI study, for instance, reported that participants who played the video game showed much better cognitive improvement that those who worked on crossword puzzles.

    Before you assume that all video games are alike, consider this: The “Road Tour” game was developed specifically as an exercise to improve processing speed, attention, memory and other “executive functions.”

    “There is no question that mental activity and mental stimulation increases cognitive function and that you can enhance cognitive abilities with training,” said Alice Vestergaard, EdD, MS, a professor at the College of Health, Human Services, and Science at Ashford University in Clinton, Iowa. “It is the type of training that is debatable.”