If a quick-fix gaming remedy to boost your brain power and work performance is what you?re after, we still have a ways to go.Getty Images/iStockphoto
We ask the experts to settle common questions we've all wondered about.
The question
Brain fitness games are all the rage today with an aging population, but how do I tell which ones are best for helping me stay mentally sharp so I'm on top of my game at work?
The answer
It is the quintessential middle-aged worker's bugbear - you start to notice subtle changes in your memory, concentration and other cognitive abilities and become anxious about your work performance and job security, and maybe even about early signs of dementia.
Scientific evidence in the past 20 years has shown that our ability to focus and filter out irrelevant information starts to diminish gradually in our 40s to 60s. Staying focused on a task to make sure it is done properly requires progressively more mental effort. These changes are simply a part of normal, healthy aging.
When it comes to memory though, declines aren't across the board. There are different types of memory and some hold up better than others. First, the good news: Primary memory (such as dialling a telephone number you have just looked up), semantic memory (general facts about the world) and procedural memory (skilled learning, such as playing an instrument or mental arithmetic) typically hold up well. Adults in their 50s and 60s generally have a better vocabulary and word knowledge than younger adults.
The types of memory that will tend to decline: working memory (manipulating different pieces of information in our mind to solve a problem), autobiographical memory (unaided recall of events that happen to us day-to-day) and prospective memory (remembering to phone a friend in 20 minutes or to buy a birthday card in a week's time).
If a quick-fix gaming remedy to boost your brain power and work performance is what you're after, we still have a ways to go. Repeatedly playing simple games that require you to make visual judgments, solve anagrams or react quickly to targets will likely improve your ability on that specific skill. If you find the games fun to do, then by all means play them. You just need to be an informed consumer, check the scientific evidence behind the product regarding lasting benefits and temper your expectations about the cognitive gains derived from these exercises.
The ultimate goal for all of us is loftier - a general boost in intelligence (for memory, concentration and problem-solving ability). But there is little evidence to date that the brain fitness games currently on the market counteract normal age-related decline. Most games don't have strong scientific evidence behind them to prove there are lasting cognitive benefits.
Can we teach middle-aged and older brains to learn memory and other cognitive strategies that support strategic, flexible and focused thinking in the workplace? The answer is a resounding yes! There is very promising data showing that brain plasticity (the brain's ability to reorganize and build new network connections) and neurogenesis (the brain's ability to grow new cells) continues throughout life. This opens the door to cognitive training interventions for older adults.
But let's not deceive ourselves. A cognitive training program with strong science behind it - whether delivered online, in a game box or by trained professionals - is only one component of your cognitive tune-up. Adopting healthy lifestyle habits and engaging in activities that are interesting, complex and novel for the brain are essential for staying mentally sharp and agile. Regular cardiovascular exercise and a low fat diet are as important for brain health as they are for heart health. High blood pressure and cholesterol, diabetes, chronic stress, alcohol and drug addictions, social isolation and late-life depression are all risk factors for cognitive decline.
The bottom line: Don't look for an off-the-shelf "magic bullet" to maximize your cognitive abilities so you can be high performing and productive at work. Take charge of your life, map out a lifestyle plan for maintaining your physical and cognitive health, and stick to it.
Dr. Fergus Craik and Dr. Donald Stuss are senior cognitive scientists at Baycrest's Rotman Research Institute and members of the Cogniciti science team that is developing cognitive fitness products for the workplace. Cogniciti is a joint venture of Baycrest and MaRS, a science and technology innovation centre in Toronto.