Word: braines
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...retired lawyer and Long Beach, Calif., resident had trouble discerning where one mellifluous word ended and the next began. So he decided to exercise his auditory skills in much the same way a bodybuilder might zero in on a particular muscle group. His weapon of choice: Posit Science's Brain Fitness software, which promised to hone his hearing, as well as his memory, for $395. (Yes, you heard that right: $395.) After completing the program's 40 hour-long sessions, he's a believer. "Now I can distinguish the words and hear better," says Marquis. "It's not cheap...
When it comes to mental acuity, there is plenty of research to support changing your diet (fish, for example, is fab for your noggin), reducing stress and staying both socially engaged and physically fit. Scientists also know that it's good to give the brain a workout. Studies show that software can improve targeted brain operations like focusing, attention and peripheral vision. But what researchers don't know is whether pricey computer programs work better than an old-fashioned crossword puzzle...
Memory-enhancing offerings range from Dakim's $2,300 touchscreen cognitive-fitness machine, used in more than 300 senior-living facilities in the U.S., to Nintendo's $20 Brain Age, whose two versions have been purchased by millions of gamers looking to do such things as play sudoku or simultaneously count people entering and leaving a house. Allstate launched a pilot program in 2008 that gave 100,000 customers software designed to improve their reaction time behind the wheel. And American Airlines offered a free memory game in an online promo in December...
With a host of companies trying to tap into baby boomers' fear of senior moments, the growth in cognitive-fitness products has as much to do with aging consumers as it does with the discovery that adult brains can generate new cells. At least six weeks of sustained, intense learning generally results in increased brain thickness. This finding has fueled a hot theory in Alzheimer's research: the more you work out your brain, the more you accumulate what is referred to as cognitive reserve. (See more about the brain...
...study published in April in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, scientists at the Mayo Clinic and the University of Southern California used standardized memory tests to assess 487 healthy adults over the age of 65, half of whom were asked to complete Posit's two-month brain-fitness program. The results of the Posit-funded study show that the software users improved their mental speed by about 60% compared with 7% in the control group...