One of my patients has spent a lifetime "exercising" her brain. She worked as an elementary school teacher for more than 30 years. Since retiring five years ago, she has stayed mentally active doing daily Sudoku and crossword puzzles, and she babysits her grandchildren twice a week. Ten years into her Parkinson's disease, a time when memory and thinking are commonly affected, she has only mild difficulties multitasking and finding words.
Coincidence? Maybe not. Research suggests that people who stay mentally active may develop memory and thinking problems later in life than those who are not mentally active. More years of education, jobs that stimulate the brain, and intellectually challenging hobbies all build what researchers call "cognitive reserve," which may help the brain cope with changes due to different neurologic diseases.
Mental activity can't prevent brain disease, but it may help people experience fewer memory problems, at least at the beginning. For those who already notice changes in memory and thinking, mental exercise might still be helpful. The analogy is that as physical exercise strengthens muscles, mental exercise may help strengthen memory and thinking.
Researchers are still trying to identify the best types of mental exercise and how—or how much—they help. In the meantime, I encourage my patients to incorporate mental exercise into their daily routine. Here are some brain training tips I share with them:
Dr. Armstrong is a movement disorders specialist at the University of Florida Health Center for Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration in Gainesville. She is also involved in the American Academy of Neurology's evidence-based guideline program.