Brain Fitness

Although scientific evidence strongly suggests that neurogenesis improves the ability to learn, it is unclear exactly how. It could be simply that having more neurons enables a person to retain more memories. Or it could be a more complex process that takes place, essentially “time stamping” memories and keeping them from interfering with each other. Adult neurogenesis has also been linked to the ability to deal well with stress, though the mechanism by which that happens also is unclear.

Sudoku is Super, But . . .

The Sudoku craze has stimulated minds across the country, including Tarrel’s. He admits to being a bit of a Sudoku junkie. But he cautions that such games are not enough.

“I think they’re beneficial, but they’re very limited,” he says of the games’ “linear” thinking requirements, which do not stimulate the brain to use different  functions at the same time. However, he says that “Sudoku requires a very precise kind of  thinking, which can be utilized in many different parts of life.”

More beneficial than improving a very specific kind of mental process is challenging yourself with a variety activities that require your brain to behave in ways it never has before. “What’s really important,” says Tarrel, “is to take on novel endeavors. Maybe you’ve never played music. Take on something new like music, and [you can] teach your brain a whole new, different operating system. And trying to get good at that is probably more important than doing more of what your brain is already good at.”

That said, revisiting the pastimes of your youth can give you a mental boost, too. Remember playing the card game Concentration? It’s back as a computer game for adults to help maintain  memory. Did you learn to play the guitar or piano or learn a new language as a youngster? Try again as an adult. Studying music, as well as learning a language, taps into many parts of the brain, causing new neural pathways—a group of neurons that send information to all parts of the body via nerve impulses—to develop. New pathways allow for greater connectivity in the brain.

Physical activity helps, too. Several recent studies have indicated that exercise leads to growth of new brain cells, which in turn aids memory.

Tarrel follows his own advice. At age 48, he pursues martial arts training, yoga, and meditation, and is learning Spanish. He also recently took up the guitar again for the first time in years. “I’m really trying to learn how to play the guitar. I still stink at it, but it really doesn’t matter. I’m not worried about performing,” he says. He has studied tae kwon do for 30 years. “Even when you take on something for as long as I have, and you stick with that and just that, you can continue to grow within it,” Tarrel says. “Because your priorities change and your abilities change, you look for different outcomes."