The Science Behind [m]Power

Use it or lose it.™

When it comes to brain health, decades of research can be summed up with five simple words: “use it or lose it.” As Paul David Nussbaum, Ph.D., said in his recent address to the American Society on Aging, “The secret to successful aging is ongoing mental stimulation.”

The small memory slips that typically occur after we reach 50 years of age are generally referred to as “having a senior moment.” While not an entirely accurate description, it does imply a relationship between our age and cognitive decline. Our bodies require exercise to remain healthy and toned; the same is true for the brain and our cognitive health.

Stick with it!

A twenty year study conducted by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine (New England Journal of Medicine, June 19, 2003) found that seniors who had, for years, regularly engaged in cognitively stimulating leisure activities–like playing chess, playing bridge, learning a new language or playing a musical instrument, had a 63 percent reduced risk of dementia compared to those who did not.

The significance of these findings is not just that performing cognitive exercise benefits an individual’s mental acuity. This was already known and widely accepted. For the founders of Dakim it was equally significant that the seniors in this study, who had for years participated regularly in highly mentally stimulating activities (reducing their risk of dementia) did so, not because they thought the exercises were good for them, but because they were fun. They were leisure activities!

Cognitive exercise has been shown to improve the brain's ability to access and process information but unless you can stick with it, the effects are not sustainable. To be sustainable and promote long term cognitive health and participation the exercises must be fun and entertaining.