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Heads Up

Your brain needs exercise, too

Throughout the last year, Get Healthy has made many suggestions on how to take better physical care of yourself. From slathering on the sunscreen to eating better to the secret of healthy nails, you can say we’ve covered everything from head to toe- except for the most important thing: the brain. Its amazing how rarely we think of taking care of it when it’s the powerhouse behind everything we do, say, and feel. What good is a kickin’ figure at 65 if your brain is beginning a descent into oblivion? So, while you are staying fit, you may also want to increase your chances of staying sharp by playing “brain games.”

Nearly ten years ago, the issue of keeping the mind agile began to interest the scientific community. Why do we go to great lengths to take care of our physical well-being while our mental well-being is left to stagnate, scientists pondered. And so was born the premise behind HAPPYneuron (happy-neuron.com), a forerunner in brain game technology today. The site explains the games as well as the science behind them. There is even a virtual coach to help evaluate your progress.

In 1998, Bernard Croisile, MD, PhD(neurologist/neuroscientist), Michel Noir PhD, and Franck Tarpin-Bernard, PhD (computer scientist), began collaborating on what would soon become the HAPPYneuron website, specializing in keeping the brain fit. The three created games they felt would sharpen the five essential functions of the brain- attention, memory, language, executive functioning and visual spatial skills.

Attention and focus are critical in helping to memorize information, understand text, and mentally search for a particular word or term. Playing these games exercises the brain and hones our ability to concentrate and focus on critical information. Memory- including working memory (15 seconds), short-term memory (up to 60 seconds) and long-term memory- are the cognitive skills we notice most as they begin to slip. Playing these games will help expand strategies for remembering and help strengthen memory functions.

Language is a gateway skill that calls upon attention and focus, memory, reasoning, and other complex thinking skills to help us think quickly and clearly. Playing these games exercises the speed, strength, and comprehension of access to verbal and written expression. Executive function games help to strengthen the highly complex functions of logic, strategy, planning, problem solving and deductive reasoning. And last but certainly not least, visual and spatial skills are an extremely important set of functions. Processing this information in our 3-D world is crucial. Our ability to quickly and accurately process this type of information helps us interpret visual information. So many things hinge on these skills: we walk, run, drive, and enjoy the art in our life because of our brain’s ability to interpret visual and spatial information.

“Cognitive stimulation begins at birth,” says Diana Miner, MA, MS, research scientist and scientific product manager for HAPPYneuron. “Around 30 years of age, a slight cognitive decline begins. Our processing speed slows down a bit. At around age 60 these skills decline a little quicker and physiological changes surface as well. People who are accustomed to routine work can find themselves more susceptible to these changes. It is especially important for them to refocus their brain on how to pay attention, strategize and plan once their routines have been removed from their daily life.” The ideal candidate for these games is one who has recently retired or has gone through any radical change in the type of work they do.

Similarly, our fast-paced, technology-laden world increases susceptibility to an even larger group of people: those who are often isolated or have little or no face-to-face interaction with those around them and instead are watching a lot of television, or the elderly, who cannot easily get out to socialize. For these people it is crucial to find ways to keep their minds active. Playing these games for 30 minutes a day (it can be three 10-minute increments throughout the day as well) can really make a difference. “However,” says Miner, “you shouldn’t exceed 30 minutes per day. Cramming in two hours of play in one day instead of a little every day will not be beneficial,” just as exercising for several hours one day and then not again for two weeks has no positive effect on our physical health.

Results come gradually. You will increasingly feel more focused, notice you are putting a stronger effort into daily tasks and, before you know it, voila! You are a wittier, sharper you.

Playing video games can also be somewhat effective. While they do stimulate the brain on a regular basis (very important) they must be increasingly more challenging to be really effective. HAPPYneuron’s games become more challenging as your skills improve. They also challenge secondary skills while focusing on improving a specific function. Otherwise the brain becomes habituated to the activity, eventually becoming complacent- sort of like an autopilot state. Note to parents: Nintendo DS has a Brain Age game specifically designed for exercising brain function. As the kiddies are counting sheep, steal a few minutes of your time and sharpen that noggin.

Remember, your body is like a machine. All parts must function/move properly to truly be used to its fullest extent. Neither man nor woman can function on rock-hard abs alone. For more information on brain fitness products, visit: www.happy-neuron.com

Article by Get Healthy Magazine, February/March 2008