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A new study finds that cognitive training can increase the levels of a key chemical messenger in the brain responsible for decision-making, and reverse a process associated with aging.<\/p>\n
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Scientists are reporting<\/a> the first compelling evidence in people that cognitive training can boost levels of a brain chemical that typically declines with age.<\/p>\n A 10-week study of people 65 or older found that doing rigorous mental exercises for 30 minutes a day increased levels of the chemical messenger acetylcholine<\/a> by 2.3% in a brain area involved in attention and memory.<\/p>\n The increase \u201cis not huge,\u201d says \u00c9tienne de Villers-Sidani<\/a>, a neurologist at McGill University in Montreal. \u201cBut it\u2019s significant, considering that you get a 2.5% decrease per decade normally just with aging.\u201d<\/p>\n So, at least in this brain area, cognitive training appeared to turn back the clock by about 10 years.<\/p>\n The chemical change observed after intensive brain training is persuasive, says Michael Hasselmo<\/a>, director of the Center for Systems Neuroscience at Boston University, who was not involved in the study.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was compelling enough that I thought, \u2018Maybe I need to be doing this,\u2019\u201d he says.<\/p>\n The result backs earlier research<\/a> in animals showing that environments that stimulate the brain can increase levels of certain neurotransmitters. Studies of people have suggested that cognitive training can improve thinking and memory<\/a>.<\/p>\n Never skip brain day <\/p>\n The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, comes amid a proliferation of online brain-training programs, including Lumosity, Elevate, Peak, CogniFit and BrainHQ.<\/p>\n But it has been hard to know whether these programs really work, says de Villers-Sidani, who directs the cognitive disorders clinic at McGill\u2019s Montreal Neurological Institute.<\/p>\n \u201cThey had a positive impact on some cognitive measures,\u201d he says, \u201cbut then the question was, how much is it changing the brain and how is it changing the brain?\u201d<\/p>\n So de Villers-Sidani and a team of researchers decided to see whether mental exercise could increase levels of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that\u2019s closely associated with cognitive performance.<\/p>\n Acetylcholine levels typically begin a gradual decline around middle age. The levels drop sharply, though, in people with Alzheimer\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n The team studied 92 healthy people who were 65 or older.<\/p>\n Half the participants spent 30 minutes a day playing computer games like solitaire and Candy Crush.<\/p>\n The others spent the same amount of time each day doing cognitive exercises that are part of the scientifically tested program BrainHQ. The program challenges users to remember the type and location of items that appear and disappear with increasing speed.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really targeted at attention and speed of processing, and it kind of pushes you to the limit,\u201d de Villers-Sidani says.<\/p>\n