Last week there were conflicting reports about the value of mental exercise to boost memory, eliminate “senior moments” and even stave off dementia. As an avid crossword puzzle solver and “Jeopardy” player, the news was a bit discouraging.
First the good news: Massachusetts General Hospital sends a free issue of its magazine Mine, Mood & Memory along with four free reports, one of which is titled, “Mental Aerobics.” The medical experts say they’ve discovered that one can reverse age-related memory loss simply by exercising a certain way. They claim to know how to boost special proteins in the brain that have the ability to repair damaged cells and literally rebuild the brain’s memory banks and banish “senior moments” forever.
Meanwhile, Maura Lerner in the Minneapolis St. Paul Star Tribune writes about the concept that’s sweeping the medical world that what you do in your spare time can affect your risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia. But she cites Mayo Clinic researcher David Knopman’s disdain: “It’s plausible but entirely unproven. Studies have been ambiguous and have not shown that mental calisthenics can affect the course of Alzheimer’s. Either you prove that it works, or you don’t make the claim. Why are we holding this to a different standard?”
Well, all mental exercises are not equal. Researchers have stressed the importance of learning something entirely new in developing new brain cells and connections. So doing the same old crosswords using variations of the same old clues just doesn’t cut it. Damn. I’ve been doing the easy ones over and over just to improve my time.
Learning a second or third language is recommended, but that may not be true if you once knew the language. I grew up listening to German, which has hilarious swear words. Then I was forced to study French and Latin in high school. Latin was useful to understand word roots and suffixes but translating Caesar was a colossal bore. I took up French again in college, and then later used the audiotapes, mostly to stay awake on long commutes. You can nod off to music or even audio books, but not when you’re talking back in a foreign language. But is this mental muscle building?
Another expert explains, “What you’re trying to do is create brain reserves. So if you take a hit you still have some reserves to fall back on,” says Dr. Anne Murray, a Minneapolis geriatrician.
Dr. Richard Golden, a Twin Cities neurologist and Alzheimer’s specialist, agrees: “It’s not a cure but the hope is that brain-healthy habits may slow down the effects of the disease. You will maintain your brain function longer even if you have the disease.”
Well, that makes sense. Old folks who sit around all day watching stupid TV shows and exercising nothing more than their eyelids and the arm that hefts the teacup or beer can will lose muscle tone, heart health and brain cells. Those who remain physically and mentally active will have a better quality of life no matter how long they live. And they’ll be less likely to wind up in a home.
Integrated medicine guru Dr. Andrew Weil says exercise can increase your brainpower, boost your memory, sharpen concentration and enhance verbal recognition. He says “mental aerobics” can keep your brain young.
Since it’s unlikely I’ll ever have a young body again, I sent for his Healthy Brain Kit containing two CDs, a 52-page workbook and 35 brain-training flash cards. That is, I tried to buy it, but was told it was sold out and on back order. Must be a lot of people like me desperate to develop healthier gray matter. Guess I’ll have to improvise until the Healthy Brain Kit is back in stock.
There seems to be consensus that physical exercise is good for the brain. Of course, it’s just anecdotal, but I conducted a little test for myself. I watched “Jeopardy” from the comfort of the couch in total relaxation, keeping track of my correct answers (er, questions) and the number of times I drew a complete blank, sure that I had the information stashed somewhere in my brain but unable to access it in time.
The next day, I watched “Jeopardy” from the treadmill, having begun walking about 15 minutes before the program began. The results were amazing. To make sure my improved score wasn’t based on easier questions or slower opponents, I repeated the treadmill test on succeeding nights, then back to the couch test on Friday. I scored consistently better even with the minor distraction of keeping myself upright and moving. I even did better on the categories about which I admittedly know next to nothing; these would be Pop Music, the Periodic Table, the Bible and, of course, Algebra.
For the purposes of this column, I set up the test again. I scheduled my afternoon walk so I’d get back just in time for “Jeopardy.” Same result.
Can’t wait to get Andrew Weil’s Healthy Brain Kit. I so hope the flash cards aren’t all about algebra.