Secrets of Success: Mind Games

Move It

Quick – what's the best thing you can do for your brain's health? Differential calculus? Chess? Chaos theory? Nope. The best brain sharpener may be… a pair of trainers. Yup. Once they're on your feet, you can pump up your heart rate. ''The best advice I can give to keep your brain healthy and young is aerobic exercise,'' says Donald Stuss, PhD, a neuropsychologist and director of the Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care in Toronto.

Mark McDaniel, lecturer in psychology at Washington University in St Louis, agrees and adds, ''I'd suggest a combined programme of aerobics and weight training. Studies show the best outcomes for those engaged in both types of exercise.''

As we age, our brain cells, called neurons, lose the tree-branch-like connections between them. These connections, or synapses, are essential to thought. Quite literally, over time, our brains lose their heft. Perhaps the most striking brain research today is the strong evidence that ''exercise can forestall some of the ageing processes in the brain'', notes Professor Mahoney, dean and professor of applied sport psychology at the University of Wolverhampton in England. ''Certainly, it improves memory.'' Animal studies have shown that, among other brain benefits, aerobic exercise increases capillary development in the brain and that means more blood supply, more nutrients and – a big requirement for brain health – more oxygen.

One of the foremost exercise and brain-health researchers in humans is Professor Arthur Kramer of the University of Illinois. In a dozen studies over the past few years, with titles such as ''Aerobic Fitness Reduces Brain Tissue Loss in Ageing Humans,'' Kramer and his colleagues have proved two critical findings: fit people have sharper brains, and people who are out of shape, but then get into shape, sharpen up their brains. This second finding is vital. There's no question that working out makes you more clever and it does so, Kramer notes, at all stages of life. Just as important, exercise staves off heart disease, obesity, diabetes and other maladies that increase the risk of brain problems as we age.

Laugh a Little

Humour stimulates the parts of our brain that use the ''feel good'' chemical messenger dopamine. That puts laughter in the category of activities you want to do over and over again, such as eating chocolate or having sex. Laughter is pleasurable, perhaps even ''addictive,'' to the brain.

But can humour make us cleverer? The jury is still out and more studies are needed, but the initial results are encouraging.

Feed It

Another path to a better brain is through your stomach. We've all heard about antioxidants as cancer fighters. Eating foods that contain these molecules, which neutralise harmful free radicals – then break down the neurons in our brains – may be especially good for your brain too. Many colourful fruits and vegetables are packed with antioxidants, as are some beans, whole grains, nuts and spices.

More important, though, is overall nutrition. In concert with a good exercise routine, you should eat correctly to avoid the diseases that modern flesh is heir to. High blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and high cholesterol all make life tough on your brain, says Carol Greenwood, PhD, a geriatric research scientist at the University of Toronto in Canada.

If your diet is heavy, then you're probably also heavy. The same weight that burdens your legs on the stairs also burdens your brain for the witty reply or quick problem solving. The best things you can eat for your body, Greenwood notes, are also the best things you can eat for your brain. Your brain is in your body, after all. Greenwood's recommendation is to follow the dietary guidelines from the American Diabetes Association.

Speed It Up

Sorry to say, our brains naturally start slowing down at the cruelly young age of 30 (yes, 30). It used to be thought that this couldn't be helped, but a barrage of new studies shows that people of any age can train their brains to be faster. ''Your brain is a learning machine,'' says University of California neuroscientist Dr Michael Merzenich. Given the right tools, we can train our brains to act like they did when we were younger. All that's required is dedicated practice: a few exercises for the mind.

Merzenich has developed a computer-based training regimen to speed up how the brain processes information (positscience.com). Since much of the data we receive comes through speech, the Brain Fitness Programme works with language and hearing to better speed and accuracy.

Over the course of training, the programme starts asking you to distinguish sounds (between ''dog'' and ''bog'', for instance) at an increasingly faster rate. It's a bit like a tennis instructor, says Merzenich, hitting balls at you faster and faster to keep you challenged. You may start out slow, but before long you're pretty nimble.

Similarly, Nintendo was inspired by the work of an eminent Japanese brain researcher to develop a hand-held game entitled Dr Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old is Your Brain? The fun game provides daily mental exercise via touchscreen or voice activated mini-games. Now, mobile phone users can join in the brain games. The Mobile I Trainer from Telcogames offers games like logical puzzles and spatial thinking tasks. Scientific studies suggest that programs such as these could help slow down typical brain ageing.

The biggest finding in brain research in the last ten years is that the brain at any age is highly adaptable, or ''plastic'', as neurologists put it. If you ask your brain to learn, it will learn. And it may even speed up while in the process.

To keep your brain young and supple you can do one of a million new activities that challenge and excite you: playing table tennis or bridge, doing sudoku, crossword puzzles, jigsaws, learning a language, or the tango, mastering bonsai techniques and, yes, relearning differential calculus. ''When it comes to warding off ageing or dementia, you really do ‘use it or lose it','' says Barbara Sahakian, professor of clinical neuropsychology at Cambridge University.

''Anything that closely engages your focus and is strongly rewarding,'' says Merzenich, will kick your brain into learning mode and notch it up.

Stay Calm

So you may be saying to yourself, ''I have to sign up right now for Swahili and calculus and accordion lessons before my brain withers away!''

Stop! Breathe. Relax. Good. While challenging your brain is important, remaining calm is equally so. In a report on the brain and stress, Jeansok Kim of the University of Washington asserts, in no uncertain terms, that traumatic stress is bad for your brain cells. Stress can ''disturb cognitive processes such as learning and memory and consequently limit the quality of human life'', writes Kim.

One example is a part of the brain called the hippocampus, which is a primary locus of memory formation, but which can be seriously debilitated by chronic stress. Physical exercise is always a great destressor, as are calmer activities such as yoga. And when you line up your mental calisthenics (your Swahili and swing lessons), make sure you can relax and have fun.

Give It a Rest

Perhaps the most extreme example of the mental power of staying calm is the creative benefit of sleep. Next time you're working on a complex problem, whether it be a calculus proof or choosing the right car for your family, it really pays to ''sleep on it.''

Researchers at Harvard Medical School have looked at the conditions under which people come up with creative solutions. In a study involving maths problems, they found that a good night's rest doubled participants' chances of finding a creative solution to the problems the next day.

Get Better With Age

In our youth-obsessed culture, no-one is suggesting 20-year-olds should stand for prime minister. You've heard about the wisdom and judgment of older people? Scientists are starting to understand how wisdom works on a neurological level.

When you are older, explains Merzenich, ''you have recorded in your brain millions and millions of little social scenarios and facts'' that you can call upon at any time. Furthermore, notes Cambridge University's Professor Sahakian, ''you tend to be better at the strategic and organisational aspects of what you do. Your social cognition – being able to interact with people, read situations and body language – benefits from the experience of having been successful on previous occasions.''

Older people are better at solving problems, because they have more mental information to draw upon. That's why people in their fifties and sixties are sage. They're the people we turn to for the best advice, the ones we want to run our companies and our country. As Professor Barry Gordon, author of Intelligent Memory: Exercise Your Mind and Make Yourself Smarter, puts it, ''It's nice to know some things get better with age.''

More Ways to Stay Sharp

Don't Smoke Smokers generally perform worse than non-smokers in studies of memory and cognitive function. No-one knows whether smoking directly impairs memory or is linked to memory loss because it causes diseases that contribute to poorer brain function. In addition, smoking increases the risk of stroke and hyper-tension, two other causes of memory impairment.

In any case, if you smoke, it pays to give up. Research shows that people who stop smoking have less mental decline than those who continue to smoke.

Be Social Close ties with others can improve the cognitive performance of older people, according to a US population study on ageing and other research. Social support can come from relationships with friends, relatives or carers.

A Canadian study published in 2003 identified a lack of relationships with friends and family as a risk factor for cognitive decline. The study, which followed people over the age of 65 for four years, found that the probability of maintaining good cognitive function was highest among people who socialised often and had strong social ties; the probability of losing cognitive function was highest among people who had the least contact with others.

Social engagement often goes together with intellectually stimulating activities, which in turn promote good memory function. Social relationships can also help support you during stressful times, reducing the damaging effects that stress can have on the brain.

Drink in Moderation While excessively heavy drinking can harm your memory, moderate consumption of alcoholic beverages may be beneficial. Research suggests that drinking up to one drink a day may reduce the risk of dementia. But excessive consumption of alcohol is toxic to neurons and is the leading risk factor for Korsakoff's syndrome, a disorder that causes sudden and irreversible memory loss.

If you're a heavy drinker, cutting back can prevent further memory loss and may lead to some recovery of damaged memory function.

Watch Your Head Head trauma often results in memory impairment, which is a risk factor for future development of dementia. You can prevent head injury by using the appropriate helmet and gear during high-speed activities and contact sports.

Car accidents are by far the most common cause of brain injury and wearing seat belts greatly reduces the injury risk. Use a helmet when cycling or riding a motorbike.

And you can lower the risk of concussion by wearing a mouth guard, which deflects the force of a blow to the chin, during contact sports such as rugby, football, hockey, basketball and martial arts.