Why you should give your brain a “tune-up” — before it’s too late

Wouldn’t it be convenient if you could take your brain into the shop for a tune-up, like you do with your car? Drop it off in the morning, pick it up in the evening — and it feels as good as new!

If you’ve ever felt like your brain could use a little maintenance, you’re right. It probably could. Your brain is always on the job… every hour of the day… every day of the year. And as those years accumulate, it’s normal for our brain’s gray matter to show signs of wear and tear.

Cognitive decline is a normal part of aging. But when it includes frequent confusion, lapses in judgment, or noticeable memory gaps, it’s indicative of an underlying condition. The formal diagnosis: mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

When MCI is confirmed, it really is time for a “tune-up.” And fortunately, there’s a way to do that so you can get your thinking back on track and avoid a debilitating descent into dementia.

Improved memory and everyday skills

The concept of cognitive training (CT) isn’t new. It’s been around long enough for research to show that it gives your brain the proper stimulation to support clear thinking and improved memory.

But can CT help sharpen and boost brain function when mild cognitive impairment is in the mix?

That’s the question a team of Canadian scientists set out to answer in a new study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Researchers enlisted nearly 150 seniors in their early 70s who’d been diagnosed with MCI. Volunteers were evenly divided into three groups.

One group received zero treatment.

The other two groups were intervention groups. Volunteers in these groups participated in two types of treatment during 120-minute weekly sessions.

In the psycho-social group, members were coached in how to promote their general well-being through accentuating positive factors in their lives.

In the cognitive training group, participants were given training designed to enhance attention span and memory. This training followed a program known as MEMO, an acronym for a French phrase that translates to: “training method for optimal memory.”

Participants in all three groups took a cognitive assessment both before and after the intervention. The researchers found that volunteers in the MEMO group improved on their memory scores by 35 to 40 percent. Scores in the other two groups were mostly unchanged.

In addition, those in the MEMO group improved on skills they could use in everyday life (such as managing frustrating emotions, learning names of new people, problem-solving skills, practicing gratitude, etc.). And these memory and skill benefits were found to be just as strong in follow up testing at three and six months after the intervention period.

The researchers also noted that anxiety and depression are common among MCI patients, but for this study they excluded potential participants with active psychiatric problems, which may account for why depressive and anxiety scores were low overall and went mostly unchanged.

Preventative action is key in preserving mind and memory

You don’t need to have mild cognitive impairment to benefit from cognitive training. Plenty of evidence shows that keeping your mind active provides exactly the daily workout that your brain thrives on.

But if you’re interested in trying CT, you’ll find many varieties to choose from. Some are little more than games, while others are specifically designed to challenge and engage your thinking skills.

So which ones are best for your long-term brain health?

Dr. Fred Pescatore offers insight into how to best make that choice with his investigation of an ongoing cognitive training study, cited in his Drug-Free Protocol for Reversing Alzheimer’s and Dementia.

The study is called ACTIVE, short for Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly. More than 2,750 volunteers — all over age 65 — started the study with no evidence of dementia or cognitive decline. As a baseline, participants took tests to evaluate memory, reasoning ability, and processing speed. They were then divided into four groups, which Dr. Pescatore describes:

Control group: This group received no training or intervention.
Memory training group: They were taught strategies such as using mnemonic devices to recall details and concepts of word lists, sequences, texts, and stories.
Reasoning training: This group intervention was centered on problem solving and pattern recognition. And not just in letter or number series, but also in everyday situations and routines including daily tasks, medications, and travel schedules.
Speed-of-processing training: The intervention technique in this group used computer programs, designed to increase both speed and accuracy of information processing. This is to expand the visual attention span and reduce the time it takes to make decisions.

As with the Canadian CT study, researchers evaluated ACTIVE participants at the conclusion of the sessions, then did follow up testing at one, two, three, five, and 10 years.

The results were impressive — and starkly different.

Dr. Pescatore: “Ultimately, only one type of ‘brain training’ had a significant effect on cognitive function after 10 years. People who received speed-of-processing training were 33 percent less likely to face cognitive decline than controls. The risk of dementia dropped 8 percent with each completed session. And among subjects who finished 11 sessions or more, long-term dementia risk was cut nearly in half.”

Speed training yields other benefits too. As Dr. Pescatore explains, this type of training delivers a daily functional performance boost. That makes everyday tasks easier to do independently. It also sharpens reaction times, which helps with driving in older adults.

And Dr. Pescatore adds, “I’ve always been a big believer in ‘exercising’ your brain. And with results like this, you can bet I’ll be recommending speed training strategies to my patients in the future. Especially since the same method used in the ACTIVE study is available to anyone who wants to try it.”

He notes that the study used an exercise called “Double Decision,” which is part of the comprehensive online cognitive training program, BrainHQ. Dr. Pescatore notes that it’s the only training app he knows of that’s backed by more than 100 scientific papers showing its benefits.

You can download the entire program into your mobile device, computer, or iPad and train your brain for a modest monthly payment. For more information, you can check out the website, www.brainhq.com.

You can learn about many other drug-free brain-boosting strategies in Dr. Pescatore’s Drug-Free Protocol for Reversing Alzheimer’s and Dementia. For more information about this online learning tool, or to enroll today, click here.

SOURCES

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180116144246.htm
Can training improve memory, thinking abilities in older adults with cognitive impairment?
American Geriatrics Society
January 16, 2018

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jgs.15192/full
MEMO+: Efficacy, Durability and Effect of Cognitive Training and Psychosocial Intervention in Individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
January 4, 2018