Brain Workouts May Tone Memory – Have you done your synapse crunches today?

It’s common knowledge that a proper exercise regimen can do wonders for the body. Only recently, however, have psychologists and gerontologists aggressively applied the same principle to the mind.

Among people who work with older adults, the concept of "cognitive fitness" has become a buzzword to describe activities that stimulate underutilized areas of the brain and improve memory. Proponents of brain-fitness exercises say such mental conditioning can help prevent or delay memory loss and the onset of other age-related cognitive disorders.

"Most people’s idea of fitness stops at the neck," said Patti Celori, executive director of the New England Cognitive Center. "But the brain is the CPU of our body, and most people don’t do much to keep it as fit as possible."

By Joanna Glasner

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