Training Your Brain

11:07

January 14, 2014

This image made from video provided by researchers shows a highly-detailed image of the hippocampus region of the human brain. The digital three-dimensional model called "BigBrain" was produced from the thousands of sections made from the brain of a 65-year-old woman. Its resolution is finer than a human hair, so it can reveal clusters of brain cells and even some large individual cells. (AP)

This week, scientists published a remarkable study that might make you add exercises for your brian to your workout regimen. The researchers found that older adults who engaged in "brain training" drills — puzzles on the computer, or even pen-and-paper tasks involving letter and number patterns — well, adults that did those exercises retain mental benefits for a decade or more.

Even more impressive, researchers observed 80-year old participants were able to carry out every day activities like a typical 70-year old, after doing the brain drills.

Guest

Alvaro Pascual-Leone, professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School; Director of the Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation.

Bonnie Wong, clinical neuropsychologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

This segment aired on January 14, 2014.