brain power

from nytimes.com

FEELING a little less mentally quick than you did a few years ago? Maybe you are among the many people who do “brain exercises” like sudoku to slow the cognitive decline associated with aging. We’ve got a better suggestion.

Computer programs to improve brain performance are a booming business.

from wired.com

SAN DIEGO -- A novel medical technique that smuggles an electrical charge into the brain through the vagus nerve is proving at least as effective as medication in controlling severe depression, psychiatrists say.

While the grownup brain is less "plastic" than the brains of children, it turns out to be much more supple and improvable than originally believed -- that's a key insight neuroscientists have gained over the last 15 years. As Boomers grasp the importance of this research, and as many see their own parents ravaged by Alzheimer's, they'll begin treating their brains much as they treat their bodies -- with a steady regimen of exercise and workouts.

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