From Connell Owings:
http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/brain-and-behavior/2008/01/31/keeping-your-brain-fit_print.htm
This article discusses several different ways you can keep your memory and thinking sharp. This especially applies to people of older generations, but it is still quite interesting. Nintendo and several other video game distributors have come out with video games that are good for your brain. It’s kind of funny to picture your grandmother or grandfather playing a Nintendo game, but it’s the new healthy thing to do. The article discusses how over time, the brain does begin to shrink and brains with Alzheimer’s disease shrink about twice as fast. It points out that the prefrontal cortex, which controls the working memory, and the hippocampus, which is also involved in memory, are most affected by this shrinkage. However, in the past decade or so, research has confirmed that the brain can continue to grow into the late years of a person’s life, and especially with some sort of stimulation. With the rapidly increasing number of cases of Alzheimer’s disease, I couldn’t begin to think of a reason for people not to try a few of these simple things. The article points out that vigorous, or really any, exercise increases the blood flow to the brain, making the brain larger and thus, improving thinking and memory. Certain foods such as fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants that are also recommended to mitigate the effects of memory loss. Other games like crossword puzzles are also encouraged.