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.

Simply memorizing a poem or learning by rote can cause metabolic changes in the brains of older adults.

In a study, participants aged 55 to 70 were involved in six weeks of intensive rote learning and memorizing. This was followed by six weeks of rest.

Learning and memory tests were administered before and after the six week learning session. No changes were noted at the end of the six weeks of memorization.

However, tests administered after the six weeks of rest showed that all of the volunteers experienced improvements in their verbal and episodic memory. They were better able to remember and repeat a short story and a list of words and to recall events that occurred earlier in the day or week.

Researchers stress that memorizing is a daily exercise anyone can do and that it has long term benefits in terms of cognitive function and as a defense against dementia.

So, let’s all go memorize something!

Rote Learning Improves Memory in Seniors

So far in this series on free computer games available on the internet, we have looked at crossword puzzles, mazes, chess and checkers. All of these have been completely free, with the unlikely exception of checkers, but, if you are prepared to pay a few dollars, the horizon broadens to take in all sorts of very enjoyable games.

My own favorites are strategy games, games that put you under no time pressure but rather require a certain amount of thought to solve. And of the ones that I have tried, the best by a long way is a little game called Slay. It is a very simple, easy-to-learn, conquest game but it requires considerable thought to keep winning on the higher difficulty levels. The basic game includes hundreds of scenarios (essentially different islands that you have to conquer) but the addition of a map editor means that you can design your own scenarios too, thereby extending the life of the game indefinitely.

There is a free demonstration game that can be downloaded so that you can see whether you like the game or not. Price for the full game is $30.00 but, for only ten dollars more, the programmer, Sean O’Connor will give you all nine of his Windows games, some of which are great fun. His game, Conquest, is one of these and is very similar to the boardgame, Risk; if you have played that game, you will know immediately how to play Sean’s version. Most of the others are strategy games of varying difficulties and complexities, with the single exception of Football-o-Saurus which, as the name suggests, is a game of football played by dinosaurs. It sounds silly but is surprisingly enjoyable.

So, for a mere $40.00, you can have hours and days of fun with these games. I thoroughly recommend them. To download demonstration versions or buy the full games, go to Sean O’Connor’s site.