MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'brain exercises'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:38:42 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5077868&cid=t_149437_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2FbVs7OP1xH_I%2F In recent years, we have witnessed the beginnings of a revolution in education.  Technology has fundamentally altered the way we do many things in daily life, but it is just starting to make headway in changing the way we teach.  Just as television shows like Sesame Street enhanced the passive learning of information for kids by teaching in a fun format, electronic games offer to greatly enhance the way kids and adults are taught by actively engaging them in the process. The Entertainment Software Association estimates that sixty-seven percent of American households play video or computer games [1].  They are especially popular among young males, with a recent study of teenagers by researchers at Yale reporting that 76.3% of male (and 29.2% of female) teens play video games [2].  These... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5077868 Fri, 29 Jul 2011 20:36:31 +0100 5077868 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4984731&cid=t_149437_180_f&fid=38612&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fpickthebrain%2FLYVv%2F%7E3%2FVWUYzDz3gtM%2F I have spent many years working on my health and my happiness. I learned early on how my thoughts and my mind can affect every experience I have. Therefore I began researching and learning about the health of my mind and how I could use my mind to benefit my life and my overall happiness. I figured there are enough obstacles to deal with out there in the big world and I didn’t want to be sabotaging myself from within. There are several different factors that affect health and happiness including nutrition, lifestyle, exercise, stress, family and career. However the one big factor that in my experience often gets overlooked is the health of the mind. It seemed to me that in order to create and maintain a healthy and happy life the work must begin with the mind. Your thoughts are extremely... PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4984731 Thu, 30 Jun 2011 04:57:09 +0100 4984731 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4841736&cid=t_149437_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F5QrUzR8vQNE%2F Laughing feels good. Laughing is indeed good in most cases. A good belly laugh amounts to an aerobic exercise as your blood pressure and heart rate increase, your breathing changes and your diaphragm contracts. Laughing has also been shown to boost the immune system and reduce stress. Laughing is thus good for your brain! Here are two fun ways to take a further look at laughter and the brain : Listen to these laughs and decide whether it is a human or a computer laughing. Try this to find out how much you are stressed. You may be surprised… Enjoy! (Source: SharpBrains) SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4841736 Tue, 17 May 2011 18:59:52 +0100 4841736 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4753831&cid=t_149437_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F2Ie6h3vlNCc%2F Ready to see how well you can remember random words or, more difficult, names? Click here to test your brain. You will also be able to check your mental speed with a reaction time test. All 3 exercises will give you an idea of where you are at compared to other people of the same age. To improve your performance, you may want to read this post before trying the games: How can I improve concentration and memory? Enjoy. Hope your brain surprises you! (Source: SharpBrains) SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4753831 Mon, 25 Apr 2011 17:55:01 +0100 4753831 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4183396&cid=t_149437_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2Fmiilgyg-0P8%2F When I give a presentation about brain health and fitness, there are always a few people who come tell me afterward that they do crossword puzzles everyday. They heard that mental exercise is good for the brain so they are pleased and proud to report that they do the best they can to maintain their brain functions. But are they really? What if I was a gym instructor? Would the same people tell me proudly that to keep their whole body in shape they do biceps movements everyday, and that’s all they do? I DO feel like I was this gym instructor when I hear the crossword puzzles claim! Solving crossword puzzles repetitively is not the best habit for two reasons. First, the first crossword puzzles one did were truly stimulating but the marginal value declines with repetition. You may remember ... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4183396 Fri, 19 Nov 2010 16:09:00 +0100 4183396 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4086391&cid=t_149437_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2FFhw0Xv-nlrw%2F An interesting article in Nature Reviews last month reviewed several studies showing that cognitive intervention can be beneficial even for individuals already diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease (Buschert et al., 2010). The article shows that patients with mild-to-moderate dementia can benefit from a range of cognitive interventions: from training of partially spared cognitive functions to training on activities of daily living. Results suggest that such interventions can improve global cognition, abilities of daily living and quality of life in these patients. Patients with moderate-to-severe dementia seem to benefit from general engagement in activities that enhance cognitive and social functioning in a non-specific manner. In general, for patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease,... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4086391 Wed, 20 Oct 2010 19:40:46 +0100 4086391 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4074240&cid=t_149437_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2FakNcK_Url9M%2F In the latest issue of Neurology a study by Erickson et al. (2010) suggests that walking regularly can increase brain volume and reduce the risks of developing cognitive impairment. The researchers stared with 2 mains facts: Gray matter volume shrinks with age, often leading to cognitive decline. Physical exercise seems to be neuro-protector (see our previous post: Fitter bodies = fitter brains. True at all ages?) They asked 2 questions: Can physical activity assessed earlier predict gray matter volume 9 years later? Is greater gray matter volume associated with reduced risks of developing cognitive impairment? The study: 299 participants, mean age: 78, 182 female. Physical activity was assessed in 1988–1989 (baseline) = total number of blocks walked over 1 week. Cognitive function... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4074240 Fri, 15 Oct 2010 19:20:44 +0100 4074240 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4045224&cid=t_149437_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2FTSN3bNlCxTY%2F Have you read the cover story of the New Scientist this week: Mental muscle: six ways to boost your brain? The article, which includes good information on brain food, the value of meditation, etc., starts by saying that: “Brain training doesn’t work, but there are lots of other ways to give your grey matter a quick boost.” Further in the article you can read “… brain training software has now been consigned to the shelf of technologies that failed to live up to expectations.” Such claims are based on the one study widely publicized earlier this year: the BBC “brain training” experiment, published by Owen et al. (2010) in Nature. What happened to the scientific rigor associated with the New Scientist? As expressed in one of our previous posts: “Once more, claims seem to go... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4045224 Fri, 08 Oct 2010 14:42:52 +0100 4045224 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4013346&cid=t_149437_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2FiVuc_6nKUho%2F Are you familiar with mental rotation? As the name indicates it refers to moving things around in your head. It is one of the numerous visuospatial skills that humans have. Let’s take an exam­ple. Can you pic­ture in your head an arrow point­ing to the right? Now, turn this arrow so it points to the left. Done? You have just per­formed a men­tal rota­tion. Although it is rare to consciously imagine objects moving, peo­ple automatically use this abil­ity when they read maps, use tools, play chess, arrange fur­ni­ture, drive in traf­fic, etc. Men­tal rota­tion relies mostly on the pari­etal areas of your brain (yellow sec­tion in the brain image above). Here is a brain exer­cise to stim­u­late your men­tal rota­tion skills. The top shape is your model. Among the 3 ... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4013346 Tue, 28 Sep 2010 14:43:13 +0100 4013346 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3980913&cid=t_149437_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F4lcTn0h0gTo%2F This study is different from the previous ones showing that healthy people who are cognitively active have lower risks of developing dementia for one major reason: It assessed the fate of cognitively active individuals who have been diagnosed with dementia. This stresses an important point: cognitive activity helps delay the emergence of dementia but doesn’t prevent it completely. The results of the study confirmed that cognitive activity prior to dementia onset is protective: the annual rate of global cognitive decline for people who had no cognitive impairment was reduced by 52% for each additional point on the cognitive activity scale. This means that individuals who had high cognitive activity scores showed delayed decline. Overall these individuals declined more slowly than individu... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3980913 Thu, 16 Sep 2010 18:30:48 +0100 3980913 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2741428&cid=t_149437_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F08%2F27%2Fcan-you-multitask-probably-not-well%2F Everyone multitasks to some degree or another. Whether you watch TV while cooking dinner, or talk on your phone while browsing through a website, we all do it sometimes and feel fairly comfortable with it. I’d hazard to guess that most of us even think we deal with it pretty well. For things that don’t really matter much, we’re probably right. But multitasking has shown to affect our ability to learn new information. And the more we multitask, the more stressed we generally become. New evidence published this week adds more evidence to the downsides of multitasking, especially if you multitask a lot. The researchers conducted a series of three experiments on 100 college students. (Yes, take the study’s results with a grain of salt since college students may not be r... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2741428 Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:26:30 +0100 2741428 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2121620&cid=t_149437_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthbolt.net%2F2009%2F01%2F20%2Fsharpen-the-brain-with-this-list-of-top-brain-fitness-and-cognitive-health-books%2F If you’re looking for a little light reading, then this list won’t do. This list is for those of us who are looking to learn more about the brain and brain fitness. Originally posted at Sharp Brains, the 10 Most Popular Brain Fitness & Cognitive Health Books list made it’s way to the Huffington Post, adding another book along the way. If you want to find out why these 10 11 are the chosen ones, head over to either of those two sites. I’m just posting the covers of the books so that when you see them at your favorite book store, you’ll know that they’re the ones you are looking for. Happy reading… Tags: books, brain, brain books, brain exercises, brain fitness, cognitive training, reading lists, sharp brainShare This (Source: Healthbolt) Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2121620 Tue, 20 Jan 2009 08:03:00 +0100 2121620 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1915410&cid=t_149437_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F433602787%2F You may have already seen that our Teasers section contains not only our selection of Top 50 Brain Teasers and Games, but also a regularly updated page with latest Games for the Brain. Below you have the brain games and teasers we have added in 2008 so far. Ready? - October 2008: Top Brainy Haikus. Yours?. - September 2008: What is going on with these pictures?. - September 2008: 7 Brainteasers for Job Interviews. - August 2008: Can you use mental self rotation to read a map?. - August 2008: Spot the Differences! how many are there?. - July 2008: Top 25 Brain and Mind Haikus. Yours?. - June 2008: Consider Linda's job prospects. - June 2008: Spot the Difference for a frontal/ occipital/ parietal workout - May 2008. Word game: stimulate your temporal lobe. - April 2008. Your Haiku, Please... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1915410 Mon, 27 Oct 2008 14:03:35 +0100 1915410 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1853992&cid=t_149437_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F411408487%2F Thank you to everyone who has written so many fun haikus over the summer (following the post Top 25 Brain and Mind Haikus. Yours?). These are the 10 I have enjoyed the most: (Also, Can you write a haiku describing anything crossing your mind now? Remember the simple rules: write 3 lines, which don't need to rhyme, containing 5,7, and 5 syllables. You can leave your haiku as a comment below for extra points...) ----- Top 10 Brainy Haikus - enjoy! - Amit: Love, college, career. A new world of transitions. Will I survive? Yes. - Kathy: My release technique, Forgive, forget, love all, Meditate on that! - Alan: Through the microscope, slice of brain stains pink and blue, the wonder of thought. - Justin: Justin the genieus Must spell check the word genius to post this Haiku - Tim: writing quick... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1853992 Sat, 04 Oct 2008 22:02:25 +0100 1853992 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1791846&cid=t_149437_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F391862901%2F Today we introduce a  highly evolved version of brain teasers. How quickly can you provide the correct answer to these 3 questions? - 1) What is going on in these 2 pictures? - 2) what may explain it? - 3) Is there some element out of place? Ready. Set. Go! Please post your answers and time below. If you need to check the answer right now...you can watch this 2-minute video (with sound) Here. Here you have more brain teasers. Enjoy the weekend! brain exercise, Brain exercises, Brain games, brain teaser games, Brain teasers, brain teasing games, free brain teasers, games for the brain, mind teasers, online brain games, pranks addthis_url = 'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sharpbrains.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F09%2F13%2Fgames-for-the-brain%2F'; addthis_title = 'Games+for+the+Brain'; addthis_pub = 'sharp... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1791846 Sat, 13 Sep 2008 23:28:33 +0100 1791846 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1701780&cid=t_149437_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F363005439%2F Dr. Pascale Michelon recently shared with our readers which brain areas and cognitive functions are engaged as we solve the type of brain teaser known as Spot the Difference, where we have to find the differences between two versions of one image: "1) You have to identify the objects that you see: this involves your occipital lobes (in red). 2) You have to analyzed the spatial relationships between the objects that you see: this involves your occipital and parietal lobes (in green). 3) You have to remember what you see in one picture and compare it to what you see in the other picture, that is you have to use your short-term memory: this involves your frontal (in blue) and parietal lobes. 4) You have to mark down the locations where you see a difference: this involves mostly yo... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1701780 Tue, 12 Aug 2008 14:08:57 +0100 1701780 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1655935&cid=t_149437_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F346452488%2F Readers have contributed a good number of haikus on brain-related topics. Below you have my  Favorite 7, and many other fun ones...which ones do you like the most? Also, Can you write a haiku describing anything crossing your mind now? Remember the simple rules: write 3 lines, which don't need to rhyme, containing 5,7, and 5 syllables. You can leave your haiku as a comment for extra points... My Favorite 7 Brain and Mind Haikus - Techne, the philosopher, wonders: Solve the big questions: How do I know when I know? Who knows the knower? - Steve, the environmentalist, requests: Neuroplastic good. Plastic, though lasts forever. Always recycle! - GTB, the skeptic, says Haiku's are easy But sometimes they don't make sense Refrigerator - Millie, the spiritual, suggests: Playing music feeds m... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1655935 Sat, 26 Jul 2008 08:47:01 +0100 1655935 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1512546&cid=t_149437_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F310139058%2F This article was written by Pascale Michelon, Ph. D., for SharpBrains.com. Dr. Michelon, Copyright 2008. Dr. Michelon has a Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology and has worked as a Research Scientist at Washington University in Saint Louis, in the Psychology Department. She conducted several research projects to understand how the brain makes use of visual information and memorizes facts. She is now an Adjunct Faculty at Washington University, and teaches Memory Workshops in numerous retirement communities in the St Louis area. Brain exercises, Brain games, Brain teasers, cognitive, cognitive processes, cognitive psychology, frontal lobes, mind teasers, occipital lobes, parietal lobes, Pascale Michelon, short term memory, Spot the Difference, the brain (Source: SharpBrains) SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1512546 Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:05:18 +0100 1512546 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1446826&cid=t_149437_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F291394611%2F Here you are have the bi-monthly update with our 10 most Popular blog posts. (Also, remember that you can subscribe to receive our RSS feed, or to our newsletter, at the top of this page, if you want to receive this digest by email). We hope you have some time to share with us today. Just came back from a superb event on Brain Health Across the Lifespan...and many stimulating things are happening in the world of brain fitness.  News and Events Exercise your brain in the Cognitive Age: The New York Times published two thought-provoking articles on brain and cognitive fitness, one of them featuring SharpBrains. Brain Fitness Webinar Series: Alvaro has been travelling a great deal over the last 2 weeks to speak at a number of conferences (Games for Health, Innovation Institute, Learning... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1446826 Fri, 16 May 2008 04:33:11 +0100 1446826 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1314666&cid=t_149437_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F254360091%2F This article was written by Pascale Michelon, Ph. D., for SharpBrains.com. Copyright 2008. Dr. Michelon has a Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology and has worked as a Research Scientist at Washington University in Saint Louis, in the Psychology Department. She conducted several research projects to understand how the brain makes use of visual information and memorizes facts. She is now an Adjunct Faculty at Washington University, and teaches Memory Workshops in numerous retirement communities in the St Louis area.   For more exercises, check out our Brain Teasers section. brain, Brain exercises, brain teaser, jigsaw puzzle, Memory Workshops, mental rotation, mind teasers, parietal lobe, Pascale Michelon, Visuospatial skills (Source: SharpBrains) SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1314666 Wed, 19 Mar 2008 17:53:23 +0100 1314666 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1259003&cid=t_149437_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F241615678%2F This article was written by Pascale Michelon, Ph. D., for SharpBrains.com. Dr. Michelon has a Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology and has worked as a Research Scientist at Washington University in Saint Louis, in the Psychology Department. She conducted several research projects to understand how the brain makes use of visual information and memorizes facts. She is now an Adjunct Faculty at Washington University, and teaches Memory Workshops in numerous retirement communities in the St Louis area.   --------------- If you are interested in learning more: - Recommended Books on Brain and Mind - Build Your Cognitive Reserve, an Interview with Yaakov Stern - The Art of Changing the Brain, an Interview with James Zull abstract information, bilingual brain, brain exercise, Brain exercises, brain hea... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1259003 Tue, 26 Feb 2008 20:25:35 +0100 1259003 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1147156&cid=t_149437_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F215623429%2F Harriet Vines, Ph.D., an experienced author and retired college professor, sends us a few fun brain exercises to train our attention and working memory (the ability to keep information current for a short period while using this information). Given them a try! They are not as easy as they may sound... 1. Say the days of the week backwards, then in alphabetical order. 2. Say the months of the year in alphabetical order. Easy? well, why don't you try doing so backwards, in reverse alphabetical order. 3. Find the sum of your date of birth, mm/dd/yyyy. Want more exercise? Do the same with friends' and relatives' date of birth. 4. Name two objects for every letter in your complete name. Work up to five objects, trying to use different items each time. 5. Wherever you are, look around and withi... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1147156 Sun, 13 Jan 2008 04:36:37 +0100 1147156 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=970475&cid=t_149437_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F173422392%2F A reader (thanks Mike!) sends us this fun article, titled A matter of training, on how to train our memory. Some quotes: “It’s a skill, not a talent. It’s something anyone could have picked up ... I’m not born with this. It’s about training and technique,” he says, explaining his unusual ability. Anant holds the Limca Record – the Indian equivalent of the Guinness Record – for memorising 75 telephone numbers, along with the names of their owners, in less than an hour. He is recognised as “the man with the most phenomenal memory in India.”   “Unfortunately, most people think that memorising is very difficult. The moment they see someone demonstrate something like this, they think it’s out of this world.” If you want to remember something, you have to link it to ... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=970475 Tue, 23 Oct 2007 00:31:12 +0100 970475 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=966544&cid=t_149437_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F170737763%2F It is always good to stimulate our minds and to learn a bit about how our brains work. Here you have a selection of the 50 Brain Teasers that people have enjoyed the most in our blog and speaking engagements. Fun experiments on how our brains work 1. Do you think you know the colors?: try the Stroop Test. 2. Can you count?: Basketball attention experiment (Interactive). 3. Who is this?: A very important little guy (Interactive). 4. How is this possible?. 5. Take the Senses Challenge (Interactive). 6. Are there more brain connections or leaves in the Amazon?. Attention 7. How are your divided attention skills? check out "Inside and Outside" (Interactive, from MindFit). 8. Can you walk and chew gum at the same time? try "Two in One" (Interactive, from MindFit) 9. Count t... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=966544 Tue, 16 Oct 2007 17:30:27 +0100 966544 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=966547&cid=t_149437_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F169568687%2F A year ago we wrote a Glossary where we defined Brain Fitness as "the general state of good, sharp, brain and mind, especially as the result of mental and physical exercise and proper nutrition" and a Brain Fitness Program as a "structured set of brain exercises, usually computer-based, designed to train specific brain areas and functions in targeted ways, and measured by brain fitness assessments." Now, thanks to this recent article Alvaro and Lisa's Brain Vacation, we can add Brain Fitness Vacation: "A brain fitness vacation is like a regular vacation, only you attend events, do exercises, and arrange for experiences that address the aspects of good brain health: physical exercise, mental exercise, good nutrition, and stress management." Dave Bunnell, the f... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=966547 Sun, 14 Oct 2007 01:05:36 +0100 966547 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=916235&cid=t_149437_158_f&fid=36018&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcaregiversbeacon.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F09%2Fexercising-mental-muscles-makes.html I just read another interesting article about mental fitness. Richard Roche, Ph.D., National University of Ireland, says, "The brain is like a muscle that should be exercized through the retirement years as a defense against dementia, cognitive lapses, and memory failure."The article, "Rote Learning Improves Memory in Seniors"at Medical News Today is about a study that showed seniors could fight memory loss by practicing memorization. In the study intensive rote memory learning was followed by an equal amount of time to rest. The people in the study showed improved memory and verbal recall.As people age forgetfulness and difficulty with learning new material often occurs. The study said 40% of the people over 60 have some type of memory difficulty. Loss of brain cells and changes in brain ... The Caregiver's Beacon - Resources, Links, Ideas, News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=916235 Mon, 01 Oct 2007 02:42:00 +0100 916235