Granny loves 'Brain Fitness' games
NEW YORK (AP) - June 17, 2008 At 32, he's not worried about losing his memory. He's taking
advantage of a growing market in "brain fitness" spurred by aging
baby boomers.
Teenagers cramming for tests and people worried about "senior
moments" can now turn to an explosion of brain-assisting video
games, such as Nintendo's Brain Age; puzzles that are said to ward
off dementia, such as Sudoku and crosswords; and online tips that
claim to train the brain.
Santos, the 2008 USA Memory Championship winner, can memorize a
shuffled deck of cards in three minutes and learn 100 random words
and 100 new names and faces in 15.
"People are capable of doing so much more with their brains
than they think is possible," says Santos, who recently quit his
software job to teach his memory techniques full-time.
The brain fitness boom might seem counterintuitive in an age
when technology has eased memory stress: cell phones store numbers,
GPS systems give directions, Web sites store passwords and e-mail
programs automatically recall used addresses.
Still, the brain fitness software market reached $225 million in
revenues in 2007, according to a SharpBrains report published
earlier this year, up from an estimated $100 million in 2005. The
increase was driven only in part by Nintendo's popular Brain Age
game, says Alvaro Fernandez, CEO & Co-Founder of SharpBrains, a
market-research firm.
"This is not just a Nintendo-fueled fad," he says. "The brain
fitness market passed a tipping point in 2007 thanks to the
convergence of a very proactive boomer generation hitting their
60s."
Many boomers have watched their parents struggle with
Alzheimers, and an estimated 10 million of them are now expected to
develop the disease, according to a recent report from the
Alzheimer's Association.
"People are worried," says Dr. John Hart Jr., medical science
director of the Center for BrainHealth at the University of Texas
at Dallas. "You have a large group of the population getting to
the age where they are sort of vulnerable to degenerative
neurological diseases that seem to be prevalent."
Hart says there is "reasonable evidence" that challenging your
brain by learning new things can stave off the cognitive decline
that comes with aging. But brain fitness programs differ from
traditional learning by focusing on drills for specific cognitive
abilities, such as concentration and retaining information.
Hart says there is no one brain "exercise" that is guaranteed
to work for everyone.
That hasn't stopped brain fitness programs from making claims.
Posit Science says its computer-based programs will "help you
think faster, focus better and remember more." While some include
a disclaimer, such as Cogmed Working Memory Training for kids and
adults with attention deficits, many of the games do not, says
Fernandez.
Some users say they feel the benefits.
Sarah Schultz, 67, of Knoxville, Md., says she can think faster
because of Lumosity, an online brain fitness program that claims to
"improve cognitive performance and maximize brain health through
fun and engaging games." She has been doing the program once a day
for the past four months.
"In my age group, everybody complains they forget, that their
recall isn't good," says Schultz, a grandmother of three. "I
read. I do crossword puzzles. I just felt like I needed more."
"I feel more alert," she adds. "It helps me to remember
things, lists, names, faces. It really helps with recall."
Even teenagers cramming for tests are turning to brain
exercises.
Raemon Matthews, a history teacher in New York City, uses some
of the techniques in his curriculum and says he's seen a difference
in his students' performance. SharpBrains estimates the K-12 market
was worth $60 million in 2007, mostly for children with learning
disabilities.
"It's a tool like any other tool," says Matthews. "Children
in the 21st century are 30-second people. If you cannot grab them
in that 30-second period, they become disillusioned and don't feel
they are capable of grabbing it."
Tony Dottino, who founded the USA Memory Championships more than
a decade ago and teaches memory techniques, says people have the
misperception that the drills are "some awful thing, where you
have to sit there and stuff this information into your head."
"It's not a matter of stuffing it into their heads," he says.
"It's a matter of helping them organize it in a way that their
brains will be able to retain."
For now, the brain fitness market is poised to grow. SharpBrains
estimates the software market will reach $2 billion in 2015 in the
United States. Fernandez has visions of certified brain coaches,
brain fitness programs in the workplace and government-led efforts.
Hart's goals are more modest: He suggests people find something
that is mentally challenging and fun and do it on a regular basis.
"I am hoping that in the future, you will be able to go a
health care provider or other expert who will be able to give folks
a brain physical" and prescribe the proper exercises, he says.