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Mental Fitness: What Experts
Say
The memory-fitness movement
We're seeing a sort of memory-fitness movement. The fact is that
we're living longer, but what's the good of making it to 110 if
you don't have your mental faculties?
Dr.
Gary Small, director of the UCLA Center on Aging.
Getting our brain healthy to preserve memory is important
Our bodies aren't the only things we need to keep in tip top shape.
Getting our brain healthy to preserve memory is just as important.
Dr.
Jay Adlersberg, Health and Medical Reporter of ABC 7's
Eyewitness News.
The more you do (mentally), the better you become
It (brain exercise) is one of the few things patients can do to
be proactive about stopping or slowing down cognitive decline.
It's better than any pill we have. The more you do (mentally),
the better you become.
Neurologist David
Reynolds
A good insurance against decline
People in their 40s and 50s are beginning to see that if they
keep their minds very well stimulated it may be good insurance
against decline later.
Dr.
Marge Engelman, a pioneer in the field of brain aerobics.
Memory loss can be delayed by five years or longer
Significant memory loss is experienced by 20-25 percent of adults
aged 65 or older. Research in the last 15 years has suggested
that with interventions to promote brain healthy lifestyle, onset
of memory loss due to Alzheimer's disease and strokes (most common
causes of memory loss in older adults) can be delayed by five
years or longer.
Dr.
Abhilash Desai, medical director of the Alzheimer's Center
of Excellence, ThedaCare Behavioral Health, Menasha.
The earlier you start taking preventive steps, the better
People in their 40s should start thinking about beefing up their
mind. As with cancer and heart disease, the earlier you start
taking preventive steps, the better. Since they've found that
people with higher levels of education are at lower risks of developing
problems, you could argue that, even in your teens or 20s, you
could start building brain reserves -- in addition to getting
a good education.
Dr.
Zaldy S. Tan, director of The Memory Clinic at Beth Israel
Deaconess Medical Center.
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You can train your brain just
like your body
If you don't use your brain, it will age quickly. But you can
train your brain just like your body.
Dr.
Ryuta Kawashima, the neuroscientist who is behind the
Brain Age video game from Nintendo.
Brain health needs to become a national priority
Mental exercise is very, very important. What does that mean?
The two words I always use are novelty and complexity. It's human
nature not to engage in the novel or complex. Why? Because we're
not very good at it.
Dr.
Paul Nussbaum, clinical neuropsychologist at the University
of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
We are all affected by Alzheimer's disease and other dementias
Government agencies are becoming acutely aware of the coming "senior
tsunami. We are all affected by Alzheimer's disease and other
dementias that will envelop the developed and developing nations
in this century.
US Senator
Roy Dyson
Exercising your brain may help prevent Alzheimer's
Several studies have found that folks who regularly engage in
mentally challenging activities—like reading, doing crossword
puzzles or playing chess—seem less likely to develop dementia
later in life.
Time
Magazine
Brain 'gyms'
help keep seniors mentally fit
It's just the beginning of what is unequivocally going to be a
revolution in what we must do to maintain our mental fitness in
life.
Dr.
Michael Mernovich, co-founder
of Posit Science.
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