Getting Better With Time: Engage Your Brain for Mental Fitness Later in Life

Getting Better With Time: Engage Your Brain for Mental Fitness Later in Life What can you do to keep mentally fit as you age? Here are a few tips to consider. Play: Play is not just for children. It is also a great work out for the brain. A recent study published in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience asked elderly Japanese adults to play a game geared towards increasing their cognitive function, once a day for fifteen minutes over a period of four weeks. The researchers found that participants not only enjoyed the exercise, but they also saw a decrease in depressive moods after playing the interactive game. Use technology: There’s a stereotype that getting older means being less interested in new technology. The results from the Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience study show the opposite, specifically that even adults well into their seventies and eighties stand to benefit from embracing the kinds of learning games and entertainment that captivate younger people. Sharing tips on how to play a favorite game is also a great way to bridge the generation gap and give elders one more way to interact with the younger generations. Stay active: Experiencing new places and physical environments can help keep aging brains sharp. Scientists at the Leloir Institute in Buenos Aires found that when mice were introduced to new environments, their brains responded by promoting new cell growth and deepening pre-existing connections between existing cells. Researchers hypothesized that the new and ...
Source: Cliffside Malibu - Category: Addiction Authors: Tags: Richard Taite Source Type: blogs