Does Brain training work? Yes, but…

That’s the message from the folks at SHARPBRAINS, who position themselves as a research company who specializes in the fast-growing brain health arena.

In a recent posting - http://sharpbrains.com/blog/2013/05/22/does-brain-training-work-yes-if-it-meets-these-5-conditions/ - they spell out five (5) qualifications/requirements for brain training to work. They are:

1. It must engage and exercise a core brain-based capacity or neural circuit identified to be relevant to real-life outcomes, such as executive attention, working memory, speed of process­ing and emotional regulation.

That seems reasonable, we need to exercise on important issues, like “where did I leave my car keys?”

2. It must target a performance bottleneck otherwise it is an exercise in vanity similar to building the largest biceps in town while neglecting the rest of the body. A critical question to ask is: Which brain function do I need to optimize?

I think the hardest issue in any exercise program is working on what I’m not so good at, e.g. balance or flexibility, versus what I like to think I’m good at (beer pong).

3. A minimum “dose” of 15 hours total per targeted brain function, performed over 8 weeks or less, is necessary for real improvement.

This is something I’m still grappling with. Does Lumosity give me 15 hours worth of “targeted brain function” in an eight-week period if I do the prescribed program 4 times a week? Can I get by with 3 times a week…or am I so far from achieving the “15 hours” threshold that I’m just fooling myself? I’m going to ask Lumosity with that question and report back.

4. Training must adapt to performance, require effortful attention, and increase in difficulty. This is a key advantage of computerized “brain training” over pen-and-paper-based activities.

Ok, I buy that. Actually, I’ve literally bought that with my Lumosity subscription.

5. Continued practice is required for continued benefits. Just as you wouldn’t expect to derive life­long benefits from running a few hours this month, and then not exercising ever again, you shouldn’t expect life­long benefits from a one-time brain training activity.

No biggie, I’m not somebody who walks to work and expects the physique of a triathlete.

Here’s the link, again, to the full article on the SHARPBRAINS website: http://sharpbrains.com/blog/2013/05/22/does-brain-training-work-yes-if-it-meets-these-5-conditions/ Although I suspect that a lot of the detail and important insights are in the book they want me to buy: The Sharp­Brains Guide to Brain Fitness: How to Optimize Brain Health and Performance at Any Age: http://sharpbrains.com/book/         

Image credit: <a href='http://www.123rf.com/photo_16774308_brain.html'>abidal / 123RF Stock Photo</a>

Physical versus Mental Exercise

As a brain tumor survivor, I am often wondering if riding my bike or opening up Mozilla and tackling Lumosity (www.lumosity.com) is better for brain building.

As it turns out, Heidi Godman, Executive Editor, Harvard Health Letter, wrote about this in a blog posting entitled “Which is better for keeping your mind fit: physical or mental activity?”

In an April 3^rd blog posting, she noted that “A study published yesterday in JAMA Internal Medicine tried to tease out whether physical or mental activity was better for brain health.”

She went on to say that “There’s some evidence that exercise alone protects the brain. One study of people in their seventies published in Neurology showed that those who exercised the most had the least brain shrinkage and fewer white matter brain lesions, which can be signs of dementia. People who engaged in mental activities had more brain shrinkage and white matter brain lesions. Another study published recently in Stroke showed that older adults who exercised regularly reduced their risk of vascular-related dementia by 40%.”

Wait a minute, I thought, what about all that time I spend on Lumosity?

As if anticipating my concern, she commented that “Mental activity alone can also protect the brain. In one 2012 study, published in Neurology, researchers demonstrated a direct link between the amount of cognitive activity, such as reading the newspaper or playing chess, and the level of cognitive function in the following year.”

Her advice? “Take advantage of the brain protection that both physical and mental activities provide. On the physical side, start or keep moving. A good goal is 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise a week, but any activity is better than none.”

Here’s a link to her article: http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/which-is-better-for-keeping-your-mind-fit-physical-or-mental-activity-201304036049?ll_leid=234&refer=4812

Image credit: <a href='http://www.123rf.com/photo_16774194_brain.html'>abidal / 123RF Stock Photo</a>

 

Brain Maintenance, Stress Management & Mindfulness

I’ve been reading a particularly good book on brain building entitled The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness by Alvaro Fernadez and Dr. Elkhonon Goldberg.  The book is billed as a guide to brain fitness and features interviews with scientists, product reviews and just plain practical advice.

It’s a hopeful book. It tells you that the “the latest scientific research shows that specific lifestyles and actions can, no matter our age, improve the health and level of functioning of our brains.” Isn’t that good to know? 

I really liked reading that “the nice thing about discovering that our lifestyle can affect brain functions is that it puts our brain health largely under our own control.” They emphasize that getting to your own best brain health takes a “multitude of approaches” which they summarize as the four pillars of brain health:

1. Balanced nutrition
2. Stress management
3. Physical
4. Mental stimulation

Having read that, I decided that I have programs in place for three of these four pillars.  I physically work out on a regular basis.  I mentally work out my brain with Lumosity and the two games I bought from Marbles’: ColorKu and Block Builders (although I’m thinking of getting some more). And I’m trying hard to eat healthy – more veggies. 

I haven’t, though, doing anything about stress management.

So I just bought Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World by Mark Williams and Danny Penman. So what’s “Mindfulness”?  According to the authors, based on the techniques of “Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy” (MBCT) the book offers “simple and straight forward forms of mindfulness meditation” that can be done by anyone.

The operative word here, is “meditation”.

I’ve been bumping into the idea of meditation as important for brain health in a variety of places…and haven’t yet really tried it. I've thought about trying it. I've written about trying it. Now that I’ve actually bought a book, instead of just getting it from the library, I’m hoping that I’ll actually do some meditating.  At least, I’m going to read the book.

If you’ve meditated, send me a note and let me know if it’s worked or not.

Here’s a link to the SharpBrains guide: http://www.amazon.com/Sharp-Brains-Guide-Brain-Fitness/dp/0982362900/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330443423&sr=1-1

 

And here’s a link to the Mindfulness book: http://www.amazon.com/Mindfulness-Eight-Week-Finding-Peace-Frantic/dp/1609611985/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330443330&sr=8-1