Brain games to help seniors stay sharp

Dear Savvy Senior,

Can you recommend some good brain-fitness computer games that are designed to help seniors keep their minds sharp? I love to play solitaire on my computer but I’m interested in expanding to some other games that can benefit my mind and memory.

— Forgetful Frank

Dear Frank,

The Business of Brain Fitness

This week we speak with Henry Mahncke, CEO of Posit Science, the leader in clinically proven brain fitness software. Their software is scientific brain training designed to improve memory and cognitive skills.

To listen, click here

Healthy holiday gifts: fun to give and receive

Giving a gift that promotes a healthy lifestyle doesn’t have to come across as preachy.

A sporty bag, electronic gadget, interactive game or the gift of experience might delight the recipient and let you inject some creativity into your holiday shopping. A healthy gift also could be just what the doctor ordered if it leads a person to move more.

New Study is First to Show Brain Training Exercises Are More Effective at Improving Cognitive Function than Crossword Puzzles

More adults had better cognitive functioning after using brain fitness software for just 10 hours; Improvements evident within 8 weeks

A new study shows that doing brain training exercises is more effective at improving cognitive function than performing knowledge games, like crossword puzzles.

Art therapy program helps people with physical disabilities

Melissa Dickerson discovered the therapeutic side of art by chance.

Because of her multiple sclerosis, Dickerson went from being able to walk to using a wheelchair and is now somewhere in between, relying on her chair most of the time.

Three years ago her neurologist recommended that she go to the Center for Individuals with Physical Challenges for physical therapy, something her insurance wouldn't cover.

10 Ways To Alter Your Brain

For much of the 20th century, science held that the human brain remained unchanging once it hit adulthood.

But in the early 1980s, neuroscientist Michael Merzenich, now a professor emeritus of neuroscience at the University of California San Francisco, showed through his research that the brain is plastic. In other words, the brain can alter itself depending on environmental input.

The real-life implications of this are several and varied.

Physical exercise, social life and arts can keep your brain young

New research is showing that ageing of the brain can be slowed down. The trick is to challenge your brain. Some clues on how to do it: physical exercise, a rich social life and an interest in the arts.

For nearly five decades, Michael Merzenich had been obsessed with one idea: plasticity of the adult brain.

Video Game-Like Programs Treat Schizophrenia

Computer-based brain training looks to be effective for treating some symptoms.

Though the condition is commonly associated with hearing voices or experiencing hallucinations, the most debilitating effects of schizophrenia are cognitive and social deficits that limit one’s abilities to hold jobs or perform daily activities.

"The medications we now have for schizophrenia are good for symptom reduction," Sophia Vinogradov, professor of psychiatry at UC-San Francisco, told Discovery News, "but they're not grea

Your Brain on Vacation

Getting out of the ordinary and into the extraordinary stimulates the brain, keeping it in good shape to learn.

Put on those sunglasses and go explore the new sights and sounds of an unknown territory during vacation – because it’s going to help the learning process.

The brain is interested in reconstructing environments and is always looking for the surprising, unusual or different, explained Michael M.

Turning to Software to Help Treat Brain Injuries

Some 400,000 current and former American soldiers suffer from traumatic brain injuries, which can cause memory loss, lack of concentration, depression, anxiety attacks and other problems. In some cases symptoms last only weeks or months; sometimes they persist indefinitely.

Finding any sort of treatment, much less a cure, has not been easy.