Find Mind Fitness in Internet Games

Dayton Daily News

Scientists and inventors have found a fertile ground for a massive joint venture: Keeping the aging population healthy in the head.

Gaming giant Nintendo introduced a "Brain Game" series designed using data received from brain imaging, that showed which part of the brain was active while people engaged in different activities. The imaging showed that the prefrontal cortex, used in learning, memory, emotion and impulse control, wasn't engaged during traditional games; the brain games were designed to exercise those frontal lobes.

The Internet hosts innumerable brain fitness games, among them www.happyneuron.com and www.sharpbrains.com. An example of a happyneuron.com game shows maps of big cities, asking the player to remember names, locations and order of travel to different sites. The Sharp Brains site also posts information on brain research, designed to support the neurobics movement, in which it's a main player.

Simple brain exercises

The Internet is full of good tips and brainstimulating exercises, but you don't have to have a computer to keep the gray matter busy. These simple brain exercises were culled from www.increasebrainpower.com, which collects articles, puzzles, riddles, etc.

Learn something: Pick up a magazine on dogs, for example, while you're at the doctor. Scan the articles and relate what you learn to what you already know. If you are a builder you may discover how the home requirements of dog owners are different from others. You might expand your knowledge, but the purpose of this brain exercise is to train yourself to automatically look for connections between things. This helps you think more creatively. It also helps your memory, because having more connections makes it easier to recall things.

Listen to audio books: Books on tape or CDs are available at many public libraries.

Sing to solve problems: Try singing about something you are working on (you might want to wait until you're alone). This taps into and exercises your right brain, and it's easier to rhyme when you sing than when you just speak or write -- the right brain is better at pattern recognition. By doing this brain exercise regularly, you can train yourself to tap into the power of the right brain. This will make you a more effective problem-solver. If you doubt the distinction between the hemispheres of the brain, look at how stutterers can stop stuttering as soon as they start singing.

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