A recent study at Tel Aviv University in Israel, tested 60 volunteers using a brain exercising computer program, MindFit, for 30 minutes, three times a week, and compared them with another 60 playing sophisticated computer games.

The results showed that although all benefited from playing on the computer, those on MindFit had better improvement in short-term learning, visual and spatial learning and focused attention.

These findings are especially relevant to those of a certain age and show that exercise can stave off the reduction of mental faculties. It seems that very few golden agers realize that giving the brain a workout is just as important as physical exercise.

Susan Greenfield, a neurologist and Director of the Royal Institution, is supporting the use of computer brain games to tackle mental decline.

She believes that with no cure for Alzheimer’s disease on the horizon, these exercises are a good way of staving off dementia and keeping the mind alert.

Baronness Greenfield will launch MindFit in the House of Lords in October. She says, “There is now good scientific evidence to show that exercising the brain can slow, delay and protect against age related decline”.

Nintendo, the computer console company, is behind another product, the Brain Training computer game. The Brain-Master keeps the mind agile by testing logical analysis, memory retention, coordination and concentration.

The developer of the software, Professor Ryuta Hawashima of Japan’s Tohonu University, said the games increase the delivery of oxygen, blood and amino acids to the brain, leading to the creation of connections between brain cells.

MindFit is a new rival, developed in Israel and already available in the U.S. Baroness Greenfield is involved with the company producing the software and her name will be used to promote it in Britain, where it will cost £70 ($140).

The software claims to improve short-term memory by 18 percent, eye-hand co-ordination by 16.5 percent, memory recall by 14 percent and reaction time by 12.5 percent.

A recent study at Tel Aviv University in Israel, tested 60 volunteers using a brain exercising computer program, MindFit, for 30 minutes, three times a week, and compared them with another 60 playing sophisticated computer games.

The results showed that although all benefited from playing on the computer, those on MindFit had better improvement in short-term learning, visual and spatial learning and focused attention.

These findings are especially relevant to those of a certain age and show that exercise can stave off the reduction of mental faculties. It seems that very few golden agers realize that giving the brain a workout is just as important as physical exercise.

Susan Greenfield, a neurologist and Director of the Royal Institution, is supporting the use of computer brain games to tackle mental decline.

She believes that with no cure for Alzheimer’s disease on the horizon, these exercises are a good way of staving off dementia and keeping the mind alert.

Baronness Greenfield will launch MindFit in the House of Lords in October. She says, “There is now good scientific evidence to show that exercising the brain can slow, delay and protect against age related decline”.

Nintendo, the computer console company, is behind another product, the Brain Training computer game. The Brain-Master keeps the mind agile by testing logical analysis, memory retention, coordination and concentration.

The developer of the software, Professor Ryuta Hawashima of Japan’s Tohonu University, said the games increase the delivery of oxygen, blood and amino acids to the brain, leading to the creation of connections between brain cells.

MindFit is a new rival, developed in Israel and already available in the U.S. Baroness Greenfield is involved with the company producing the software and her name will be used to promote it in Britain, where it will cost £70 ($140).

The software claims to improve short-term memory by 18 percent, eye-hand co-ordination by 16.5 percent, memory recall by 14 percent and reaction time by 12.5 percent.

Have you ever left a store and realized you can’t remember where you parked your car? Have you ever run into someone at the supermarket that you were recently introduced to and find that for the life of you, you can’t remember her name?

There’s the well-known joke about two older women who have met weekly for years to play cards. One day one of the women looks at the other and says apologetically “I know this is awful, we’ve known each other for years but for the life of me, I can’t remember your name. Can you please tell me your name again?” The other woman sits in dead silence for several minutes then turns to the first woman and asks “How soon do you need to know?”

In situations where we forget simple details or find ourselves standing in the middle of a parking lot with a dazed look, wondering where we left the car, we may be prone to worry if it is a sign of Alzheimer’s. But according to an article at WebMD, some memory loss is perfectly normal, especially as we age.

In fact, many people in their 20s and 30s experience exactly the same types of memory lapses. Time is memory’s worst enemy according to Stuart Zola, PhD. professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Emory School of Medicine and director of Yerkes National Primate Facility in Atlanta.

“If we have forgotten an appointment, we begin thinking, ‘Uh oh, is this the first sign of Alzheimer’s disease?’ and we become much more conscious, and it gets kind of a disproportionate amount of attention when it really may be something quite benign”

How can you tell is your memory lapses are normal or something for concern? What physical conditions other than Alzhiemer’s can cause memory problems?

Read Is Your Memory Normal at WebMD

Folate, found in vitamins B12 and B6 is important to the body in processing homocysteine levels. Now a study links higher folate levels with a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease. The report is published in the January issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journal.

Higher folate intake was modestly correlated with lower homocysteine levels, indirectly suggesting that a lower homocysteine level is a potential mechanism for the association between higher folate intake and a lower Alzheimer’s disease risk,” the authors write.

Definitive conclusions about the role of folate in Alzheimer’s disease cannot yet be made, the authors caution.

Folate is necessary for the production and maintenance of new cells and is especially important during periods of rapid cell division and growth. Folate is needed to make DNA and RNA, the building blocks of cells. It also helps prevent changes to DNA that may lead to cancer. Folate is needed to make normal red blood cells and prevent anemia. Folic acid is the synthetic form of the vitamin found in supplements and fortified foods.