The Busy Fitness Pro

Posts Tagged ‘Brain Fitness’

The World Economic Forum asked me to write “an 800 words summary of your most compelling actionable idea on the challenges of aging and gerontology”, in preparation for the Inaugural Summit of the Global Agenda taking place November 7 to 9th in Dubai.
Here you have my proposal to create a Global Consortium for Brain Fitness and Training Innovation and help ensure that “No Brain is Left Behind”:
I. The Context
- Growing Demands on Our Brains: Picture 6.7 billion Primitive Brains inhabiting a Knowledge Society where lifelong learning and mastering constant change in complex environments are critical for productive work, health and personal fulfillment.
Welcome to Planet Earth, 2008.
- Further stretched by increased longevity: Now picture close to 1 billion of those brains over the age of 60 – and please remember that, less than 100 years ago, life expectancy was between 30 to 40 years. The rapidly evolving Knowledge Society is placing new and enormous demands on our “primitive” human brains. And the longer our lifespans, the more obvious the “cognitive gap”. Hence, from a health point of view, the growing prevalence of Alzheimer’s Disease and its precursor Mild Cognitive Impairment. And, from a workplace point of view, the perception that older workers can’t learn new tricks, and are to be substituted by younger employees as soon as practical.
- Significance of lifelong neuroplasticity: The good news is that substantive brain research is showing how our brains retain lifelong neuroplasticity (the ability of our brains to rewire themselves responding to experience), how they can physically be strengthened -via the Cognitive/ Brain Reserve- and its functions enhanced, opening the way to slow-down if not reverse the cognitive decline that often comes with age. Use it and Improve It may be more accurate than Use It or Lose It, and help close the growing cognitive gap. Humans can become the gardeners of our own brains by focusing on four pillars: a balanced diet, cardiovascular physical exercise, stress management and brain exercise that incorporates well-directed novelty, variety and challenge.
- Cognitive neuroscience and neuropsychology are ready to step up: a growing number of research-based frameworks and applications present clear mainstream opportunities, yet they are often misunderstood, since they are presented in fragmentary and confusing ways. Think about the potential for having an annual “mental check-up” that helps set up a baseline and identify appropriate interventions. Think about being able to pinpoint specific needs and enhance, in non-invasive ways, specific neurocognitive functions, such as visual and auditory processing speed, working memory, executive functions, emotional self-regulation, attention.
II. The Problem
- We need bridges: There seems to be multiple areas of disconnect between gerontology, preventive healthcare overall, cognitive neuroscience and neuropsychology. Innovative and collaborative partnerships will be required to transform the growing amount of mainstream interest and research findings into a rational, interdisciplinary, and sustainable approach to neurocognitive fitness.
- Growing confusion among consumers and professionals: there are no “magic pills” or “general solutions”, but very useful tools when used appropriately. Better assessments, taxonomies and integrated research efforts are required for the field to mature. Some brain functions tend to improve as we age, whereas some tend to decline. For example, as executives tackle many difficult situations over time, we grow an “intuition” (or crystallized pattern-recognition) for best approaches. As long as the environment does not change too rapidly, we can continue to accumulate wisdom. But some areas of mental functioning typically decline. We usually see this in areas that test our capacity to learn and adapt to new environments, such as effortful problem-solving in novel situations, processing speed, working memory, and attention. Research has shown that all these areas can be enhanced in older brains. But the priorities are not the same for all individuals, or for all objectives (safer driving, preventing Alzheimer’s symptoms, improving memory…) In summary, the field holds much promise, but the picture is complicated.
III. The Opportunity
- A Global Consortium for Brain Fitness and Training Innovation composed of 100 leading universities, policy-makers, healthcare/ insurance providers and developers of technology-based neurocognitive assessments and training tools can provide the taxonomy, guidance and structure required to guide applications of cognitive neuroscience and neuropsychology in gerontology and geriatrics -and healthcare overall.
- A transparent online presence could facilitate the engagement of professionals and the public at large. Especially, yes, of brains over 60.
- Outcomes:
1) Best practices: to share best practices in preventive brain health education, seniors housing, hospital-based programs, insurance-led initiatives, public policy efforts.
2) Standards: to define standards for neurocognitive assessments and training tools,
3) Taxonomy: to establish a common taxonomy and language,
4) Education: to engage professionals and the public at large in well-informed “brain maintenance”,
5) Policy readiness: to anticipate policy implications and improve readiness,
6) Research path: to propose a research and applications path.

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There is an entirely new field of scientific discovery emerging termed “Cognitive or Brain Fitness”.

Train the Brain

Currently attention in “training the brain” is centered on the older adult. No target group is more diverse in terms of psychological and physical function, and has the most to gain (by offsetting age and inactivity-related decline).

Key concerns include brain alertness and memory.

Exercise helps generate new brain cells, even in the aging brain. Starting an exercise program early in life is an effective way to lower the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease later in life.

As little as three hours a week of brisk walking has been shown to halt, and even reverse, the brain shrinkage that starts in a person’s 40s, especially in the regions responsible for memory and higher cognition.

Exercise improves learning through increased blood supply and growth hormones. Exercise is an anti-depressant by reducing stress and promoting neurogenesis. Enrichment initiated at any age can significantly improve memory function, but is most beneficial when started young.

Evolving from “use it or lose it” to “use it and improve it”

Conversely, science is also discovering that “mental workouts” are the key to expanding your neural systems and making them more communicative. This means you can alter the physical makeup of your brain by training it. Every time we learn a new skill, concept or fact, we change the physical composition of our brains (its “neuroplasticity”).

The more “cognitively fit” you are, the better equipped you are to make decisions, solve problems, and deal with stress and change.

By regarding the brain’s alertness as the result of cognitive fitness, it can be seen that cognition (thinking + performance) is really a set of skills that we can train systematically.

Effectively, we can cultivate our own neuronal networks.

Individuals who lead mentally stimulating lives, through education, occupation and leisure activities, have reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s symptoms.

So if expertise is developed through practice, the practice that has the best results is repetition with increased difficulty.

Maintaining brain fitness then requires a change from our normal and mostly automatic ways of doing things.

It becomes a challenging and lifelong process of nurturing new brain cells and neural networks. Our experiences literally shape our brains, and vice versa.

Given too that wisdom strengthens with age (attentional control is one of the last cognitive abilities to develop in normal brain development), cognitive fitness could change the way society views ageing and what it means to be “old”.

Whilst metal stimulation is a good thing, too much may not be!

Studies suggest that neurons are adversely affected by stress as well as a lack of stimulation. Neurotoxins may be hampered in their ability to form new patterns of connectivity and may lose synaptic connections. This reduction in new cell creation, due to chronic stress, affects brain effectiveness.

Hence reducing stress, and the stress hormones, in your system is critical to your brain fitness and overall wellbeing. Prolonged exposure to the adrenal steroid hormones like cortisol, released during the stress response, can damage the brain by blocking the formation of new neurons.

Older neurons can be regenerated with learning and environmental stimulation, but while short-term stress may improve attention and memory, chronic stress leads indirectly to cell death and hampers our ability to make changes and be creative enough to even think of possible changes to reduce the stress.

Notice today how creativity is shrivelling and mistakes are multiplying? To inoculate yourself against this epidemic, regularly replenish your personal energy through restorative rituals and brief breaks throughout your day.

Relaxation classes through meditation, tai chi, yoga, or other techniques can lower blood pressure, slow respiration, slow metabolism, and release muscle tension.

Plus the human brain is a social brain. We are born into a social system, learn in social systems, and age in social systems.

Socially-orientated classes and networks can help foster trust, support, and relaxation, which are important for both mental stimulation and stress reduction.

“It’s never too late” and “never too early”

Cognitive fitness is not only about seniors or about memory. The race is now on to discover mental and physical disciplines that can help busy executives sustain their ability to lead despite increasing demands on their time and energy.

People of all ages can benefit from a variety of regular brain exercises. Clearly exercising our brains systematically is as important as exercising our bodies.

Plus there’s a ripple effect. Whilst attention is currently being placed on seniors for memory and mental agility etc, what is being learned also has relevance for stressed-out executives, gameboy-addicted kids, and the mentally ill.

Ironically, in maximising the physical and mental agility of kids through to executives, the benefits get passed upwards as these same individuals transform into more able functioning “seniors” than their inactive “dogmatic” peers.

To sum up, the astute amongst you will have recognised XX1C fitness as 21st Century Fitness, where mind + body exercise really comes of age.

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What do the words “brain fitness program” bring to mind?

I know when I think of fitness programs, I think of the aerobics classes I see at my YMCA, which looks like a fun dancing type of movement, led by an instructor with a microphone, and disco or dance music playing.

But brain fitness brings to mind term papers and reports and drudgery.

Interesting association of brain fitness with drudgery.

Now I am 60 years old, and graduate school is behind me by 12 years, and I am not so sure where they went, except I am married, and I have a 10 year old son, and a 4 year old daughter who expects a ration of tickling each day.

As a Boomer, moving rapidly towards a Senior classification, and one who has always enjoyed working out, and as a counselor looking for the best tools for my clients, I am now exploring a different version of brain fitness programs.

Technological developments like fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) have allowed scientists to explore inside the human brain in new and fascinating ways, and the results are providing some interesting ideas for enhancing our Boomer and Senior Brains, let alone the brains of our children, or our clients.

About ten years ago, there were discoveries made about the human brain that overturned all neuroscientific dogma in regards to the growth of new neurons. We do grow them and that growth can be encouraged. That is called neurogenesis.

(The following are good resources. Look up Norman Doidge,M.D., Helen Fisher,Ph.D., Simon Evans Ph.D, or Paul Burghardt,Ph.D.)

Evans and Burghardt in their book called Brainfit for Life talk about how to keep your mental aerobics rhythmic, metaphorically speaking, by managing stress, sleep, nutrition, and providing novel challenge for your brain.

Norman Doidge and Sharon Begley talk about the potential of the brain to overcome issues like stroke, and how regular practice changes brain maps, which the brain is OK doing anytime, in fact the brain is a data craving organ, and loves a stream of new experiences. It thrives on that, so if you are a musician, take up a foreign language, if you are a counselor, take up an instrument to change your brain maps.

By the way, changing brain maps is called neuroplasticity.

Brain fitness programs of the Computer Kind

There are new brain fitness programs out there that you can download to your computer which have research to back them up in regards to their effectiveness.

In fact, I believe that a combination of physical and mental aerobics is synergistic for the brain at any age.

The Mayo Clinic and University of Southern California have just released new research about the Posit Science program, which indicates (they say ’shows definitively’) that “computerized brain exercises can improve memory and attention in older adults.”

I do not think that maintaining an effective brain is a dull pursuit, especially when I can do it at my computer, on my schedule. Need a day off, because you know where your glasses are? Take it.

Brain fitness programs may even become part of the treatment regimen for ADD and autism, and many are looking to them to ward off alzheimers, or perhaps even reclaim lost brain function.

The brain fitness workout can vary given the program used. One requires 40 hours of time, one hour per day, for 40 days.

Another can be used daily in brief bursts, another requires 20-25 minutes per day for 19 days, and then maintenance practices subsequent to that.

Of course, reading a good book or practicing your instrument will require different time commitments with different purposes. (If I am learning some piano tunes to play for myself, I can learn at my own pace.)

Brain fitness programs do not have to be a drudgery. I can make them a fun part of my daily routine and reap the benefits of neuroplasticity and neurogenesis for a good long time, maybe until I can hold a grandbaby or two.

Become Second To None Information

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