2006-11-02 / Seniority

Keeping brain strong secret to longevity?

As medical researchers uncover more details about the brain's capabilities as we age, they're finding that the human brain can stay in top shape well into a person's 20s. It's when people reach their late 20s when the brain can begin a gradual decline in "cognitive function" - the way it processes information and applies knowledge. Now researchers are finding ways to halt, and even reverse that decline, and a new Web site for the 50-plus crowd has found a way to make brain-building fun.

Research by Dr. Tom Perls, an expert on longevity at Boston University and the director of the New England Centenarian Study at Boston Medical Center, suggests that complex brain activities can delay cognitive decline and extend lifespan.

Perls argues that maintaining top brain function could be simply a matter of a regular workout routine for the mind. "We go jogging, lift weights, and spend thousands of dollars on gym memberships and fitness equipment to exercise our hearts and muscles and strengthen our bones," says Perls. "But what do we do for our brains? Like the heart, the brain needs exercise to keep it healthy. And you can exercise your brain by playing games."

But, there's more to fitness over the age of 50 than muscle strength, aerobics and yoga. More than ever, boomers and seniors are keeping their minds agile by challenging themselves with puzzles and games that keep their brains as active as their bodies.

Perls' research suggests specific games and puzzles have been shown to keep seniors' memories sharp, thought processes speedy and ultimately slow the aging process and extend the lifespan.

To address the important issue of extending mental vitality for spirited seniors, Eons, an innovative new company focused on inspiring people over the age of 50 to live the best life possible, has collaborated with Perls to introduce a suite of online Brain Builders games. Available at www.eons.com, Brain Builders offers an innovative and unique approach to games and puzzles that challenge the brain with the workout it needs.

In this spirit, Eons, created by Monster. com founder Jeff Taylor, challenges America's 50-plus to a "game a day."

"With boomers today living 20 years longer, on average, than their grandparents, it's more important than ever to keep the mind alive. And with Eons Brain Builders, we're challenging 50-plus Americans to continue exercising their brains along their journey of living the biggest life possible," says Taylor. "Eons Brain Builders games not only keep the mind sharp, they expand mental capacity and agility - helping people over 50 to get the most from all stages of their lives."

Brain Builders games exercise every mental muscle and are tailored to restore and sharpen a variety of brain functions. Players can actually measure the improvement in their brain functions thanks to an exclusive tracking system that depicts for players their month-by-month progress.

Brain Builders games target five key brain function areas:

+ Memory, the ability to retain and recall information from the recent and distant past, is regulated in the brain's temporal and frontal lobes. Eons recommends MatchUp practice each day, as well as regular games of 5 Spots, Jeopardy and Trivia Machine.

+ Language skills, including both written and spoken communication, are centered in the parietal lobes. To keep these skills sharp, Eons recommends the daily Los Angeles Times crossword puzzle, as well as occasional Wheel of Fortune and Scrabble Blast play.

+ Executive function, or the capacity to control and apply one's own mental skills, is sharpened by the daily Sudoku, both mega and classic, and by periodic Mah Jong, Luxor and Zuma games.

+ Motor function, or the coordination of the brain, nerves and muscles to produce movement, is chiefly regulated from the brain's "motor strip." Regular practice with the Diner Dash game, as well as regular games of Gold Miner Vegas and Gutterball 2, will help restore and sustain those skills.

+ Visual/spatial skills, defined as the ability to discriminate, perceive and track objects visually, are centered in the brain's occipital and temporal lobes. A daily jigsaw puzzle at eons.com, plus periodic Bejeweled 2, Bounce Out and Cubis Gold 2 games, hone those abilities.

Courtesy of ARA Content

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