Questions Arise About Potential of “Brain-Training” to Improve Function, Well-Being

September 25th, 2009

Delicious Stumbleupon     

A GoodTherapy.org News Summary

While it’s a popular and commonly-held idea that the brain grows stronger and people become more knowledgeable and mentally apt as they cage, the facts of brain biology can be harsh. Into one’s 30′s, mental decline has likely already begun to take place, with some indications that the process can start as early as the end of one’s second decade. People approaching middle age may find that their memory seems to fail them from time to time, or they might experience a decrease in the ability to focus or to approach a given subject with sharpness and efficiency. In tandem with these unwanted aspects of aging, many mental health professionals an people in general are growing increasingly concerned about the prevalence of dementia and other mental health issues that can take root during and after the transition into old age. A relatively new response to these concerns has been the creation of “brain training” games and activities, which often report the ability to “exercise” the brain as though it were a muscle, purportedly making it stronger.

However, those with insight into the fields of medical biology and cognitive science note that the brain is not all that similar to a muscle, and while it may be tested and bolstered by some kinds of use, simple “reps” of baseline mental exercises aren’t likely to do much more than entertain. However, it may be the case that some brain training games and activities approach concepts and ways of thinking that a given mind has not yet encountered, and in such new situations, the brain may be able to experience gains in agility and readiness.

While a survey of popular games and exercises has failed to produce a miracle cure for dementia or an instant memory retrieval system, advances in mental health and cognitive science may make it possible for some people to train themselves towards meaningful mental upkeep as they grow old.

 

Delicious Stumbleupon     

© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Fort Collins Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

Print This Post Print This Post

  • Find the Right Therapist

  • Join GoodTherapy.org - Therapist Only For Therapists For the Public
 

Comments

  • Allen September 25th, 2009 at 10:31 AM #1

    This is strange… Because a lot of us have always believed that solving puzzles and other tickle-your-brain activities actually provide exercise for our brain. I just hope practices are not blindly followed without proper study-related proof in the future.

  • patricia bucknall September 25th, 2009 at 11:21 AM #2

    is there anyone intrested out there in useing new sencory playroom that can be used for one-one work/therapy.

  • Bryan September 25th, 2009 at 7:24 PM #3

    I cant begin to dismiss sudoku or chess as unfruitful. I do know that these things improves the speed at which one’s brain processes information. I wonder whether memory building is about information assimilation. In that case it would definitely be worthless in my opinion.

  • Brain Training Advocate September 26th, 2009 at 10:59 AM #4

    While it’s generally true that most puzzles and brain training exercises don’t produce the kinds of mental gains that people might hope for, there is one exercise that has been proven by research to produce significant benefits.

    A study last year by researchers from the Universities of Michigan and Bern (Improving Fluid Intelligence by Training Working Memory – PNAS April 2008) recorded increases in mental agility (fluid intelligence) of more than 40% after 19 days of focused brain training.

  • Debbie October 1st, 2009 at 6:54 AM #5

    What exactly is fluid intelligence? How do they measure this?

Leave a Reply

By commenting on this blog you acknowledge acceptance of this Blog's Terms and Conditions of Use.

 

*

 

* = Required fields

 
 

Search Our Blog:

   

Blog Categories

 

Find the Right Therapist

Advanced Search | Browse Locations

 

Dear GoodTherapy.org

See More...
      therapist  

Recent comments

  • hank f: personally i think it is time for us all to get over it and move on, suck it up and show then that that kind of stuff does not fly anymore
  • Carole: Documentation is critical! Keep an ongoing list of everything that your child says is said to them or done to them to inflict hurt or...
  • Dermott: We always want to point the finger at someone else when in reality if there is something going on in your life that does not sit well with...
  • marie: What a moving and poignant way to explain- the timing has to be right in all aspects of life to get the most benefit out of it!
  • Joanne: Group therapy is so helpful for so many people but I know that there are those who shy away from that mode because they are embarassed to...