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PROLONGING YOUR BRAIN POWER

By: Article Brain Editor

By SYLVIA LIM
slim@bradenton.com

Old dogs can learn new tricks - and be smarter for it.

Recent studies are bucking long-held beliefs that you can't teach an old dog, that the brain can't be rewired and that the effects of age can't be negated.

It is possible to remain sharp in the golden years through constant learning and a healthy lifestyle, experts say.

Unfortunately, all the research done in the area of cognitive functioning doesn't really point to one particular method, or shortcut, to stay there.

Experts are also looking into whether the effects can stall nature or prevent diseases such as Alzheimer's.

But they all agree that the common sense approaches - such as a good diet, consistent mental and physical exercises, and a robust social life - can help prolong cognitive fitness.

Those healthy practices can delay mental deterioration, said Michael Marsiske, a University of Florida associate professor who recently conducted a study on cognitive training for the elderly.

The interest in healthy aging, especially in the head, will be a headline maker in the next few years.

With 80 million baby boomers approaching middle age and beyond, research in keeping the mind limber has grown.

But research about cognitive ability started in the 1970s, Marsiske said.

"People began questioning biological givens . . . not only that cognition declines with age but that it's irreversible," he said.

Research - especially on how to boost or maintain one's brain powers - has increased recently.

"The change is motivated more by market forces than research," Marsiske said.

Through breakthroughs in technology, scientists are now able to see how the brain works down to a cellular level, which allows them to design more specific studies.

And they reveal multiple methods that can help preserve and prolong one's mental ability.

Marsiske's research, named Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE), involved teaching seniors how to follow patterns and sequences, solving problems and using a computer program - skills useful in deciphering bus schedules or driving.

After 10 sessions of training, most participants showed they were able to compute information faster and remember better.

Frank Lawlis, the supervisory psychologist at American Mensa, worked with the organization's testing and assessment process. He also conducted similar research on his own.

Instead of using specific skills training, he focused on breathing techniques, movement and balance using drumbeats, and a less sugary diet.

Stress, Lawlis said, often gets in the way of proper breathing.

"People hold their breath when confronted with a mental challenge," he said.

After seven sessions in two weeks, the seniors he worked with said they found better balance and felt better. Spacing out breaths evenly, the participants reported, helped improve their concentration and memory.

"I likened it to physical fitness," said George Rozelle, a neurotherapist who founded MindSpa, a mental fitness clinic in Sarasota. "A good brain has endurance, agility, speed."

Rozelle has worked with patients ranging from age 6 to 80 for the past 17 years.

His clinical practice helps children and teenagers with learning disabilities. His mental fitness center usually works with clients who are 50 and above.

At the center, Rozelle works with equipment that measures brain waves and provides multisensory stimulation. He assesses his patients' cognitive ability first and then plans a series of mental workouts for them.

His arsenal of sci-fi-like machines - a single-leg chair that pivots, a flotation tank and a color dome - works different parts of the brain and then relaxes the mind.

Besides helping maintain memory and mental quickness, Rozelle also tries to help his clients gain better balance and sleep.

The loss of balance is one of the foremost causes in falls, something that could be debilitating for seniors, he said. And a good night's sleep - sometimes delayed or hindered by bathroom breaks in the middle of the night - is also crucial to mental fitness.

"We emphasize on balance, stress and recovery," Rozelle said of his methods.

Though certain drugs used to treat Alzheimer's or dementia patients can improve a person's memory or creativity or intelligence, both Marsiske and Rozelle are cautious about them.

"These drugs have been, appropriately, evaluated on persons who are experiencing cognitive impairment," Marsiske wrote in an e-mail. "Their utility for unimpaired, healthy older adults has not yet been shown."

Rozelle, citing possible side effects from those medications, advocated instead for brain-friendly supplements, such as Acetyl-L-carnitine, Alpha lipoic acid, vitamin B complex and vitamins C and D.

But whether any of those methods or measures can really keep a mind from going with age or protect against neurological diseases has not yet been answered.

Even though the findings of his research appears to be promising, Marsiske said it remains to be seen if those approaches last. From similar studies elsewhere, the effects can last from one week to five years.

"The whole area of what we can do to maintain and boost mental functioning is quite widespread," he said.

But Marsiske, Rozelle and Lawlis agree: It's better for the decline to start at a higher place.

Those who have developed good reading habits at a young age or hold intellectually challenging jobs are shown to be increasingly successful in delaying any mental decline.

"Some studies have shown that people who had higher education, had careers that are intellectually stimulating who retire and do nothing, mental decline takes a lot longer (for them) than people who didn't have that type of mental stimulation earlier on," Rozelle said.

Basically, it's use it or lose it.

"We're typically our own worst enemy," Lawlis said. "It's less an issue of helping to prevent disease as it is to prevent our own brain from going sour."

Sylvia Lim, education reporter, can be reached at 745-7041.

Fact or myth?

Here is a list of commonly held beliefs of what makes a person smarter, with comments by three experts.

• Eating your vegetables

Nutrition contributes to the well being of a brain, the experts agree. A healthy diet can improve cardiovascular function, which leads to a healthy brain. Vegetables grown locally and organically are even better.

• Avoiding routines

It's the flip side of learning new things, as the brain responds to novelty. But one expert is not convinced. Routine is a way to keep organized, and may help keep your brain alert to certain things, he argues.

• Learning a new language

Learning something is always good for the brain. But the process works better if you pursue something you are truly interested in, like digital photography or woodworking.

• Playing video games

Nuking virtual zombies may improve your visual attention, reaction and motor control and spending some time with the latest PS3 may sharpen the mind, but experts advise moderation as video games can be addictive and don't really impart much sense of achievement.

• It's all in the genes

Sure, but that doesn't mean we can't work to slow down nature. The experts agree that anyone can improve mental ability through lifelong learning and healthy eating, among other ways. But researchers are still looking into whether certain brain exercises can stave off the onslaught of neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's, even if a person is genetically predisposed to it.

• Playing word or number puzzles

Sudoku trumps crosswords. But one expert likens daily crosswords or Sudoku puzzles to going to the gym and doing only bicep curls. Crosswords can cease to challenge after a while, so the experts advise trying out many different types of puzzles or games. Active reasoning is a mental exercise.

What keeps you smarter, longer

• Learning new things.

The brain can physically change constantly. Stimulating your mind can help form neural pathways or connections at any age. Watch less TV and try picking up puzzles or games like bingo. One research showed that bingo helped reduce memory loss and improves hand-eye coordination.

• Reading

This works the brain like exercise flexes muscles. Good reading habits at a young age go a long way.

• Eating healthy

Certain foods, especially those high in antioxidants, help detoxify your brain. A wedge of lemon in a glass of water, for instance, helps, too.

• Doing something differently

Try an offbeat way to perform simple tasks, such as using the other hand to control a computer mouse or to write, or shower with your eyes closed. These little exercises challenge the brain's perception of movement and space. It is also said to help strengthen neural connections and even creates new ones.

• Exercise

There's nothing like a good shot of oxygen and glucose to the head. Walking or running increases blood circulation and thus helps pumps more oxygen to the head.

• Rest

Rest is crucial for overall mental and physical fitness. Sleep deprivation can affect cognitive speed, memory and spatial orientation. A Harvard professor says nine hours a night is best.

• Traveling

Take a cue from our nomadic ancestors. Traveling stimulates the senses and helps sharpen survival instincts.

• Socialize

Good company is inspiring. Getting out of the house and socializing is also important to mental health.

Drugs

An array of drugs, developed for specific conditions such as Alzheimer's disease or dementia, could help improve certain components of cognitive skills such as memory, creativity and intelligence. But be wary of side effects.

SOURCES: The Franklin Institute, Wired, Google Answers, George Rozelle of MindSpa, Michael Marsiske of the University of Florida, and Frank Lawlis of American Mensa.