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Brain training

Mind games may improve our performance at work”, reads the headline in The Times today. The newspaper reports that a new study has shown that volunteers who took part in “rigorous exercises designed to tax their mental agility… stimulated problem-solving abilities in the brain that can be applied to a variety of circumstances.” It says that other forms of mental exercise such as Sudoku or crosswords “have limited value because they help mental improvement only at similar tasks”. This story is based on a non-randomised controlled experiment using student volunteers to look at the benefits of a particular form of working memory training on “fluid intelligence” – the ability to solve new problems. Because the groups in this study were not randomised, it is not clear whether all of the benefit seen was due to the training received. More importantly, the study did not assess whether the training had any effect on their jobs or studies. Although this study by itself does not prove that brain training improves intelligence, other studies have suggested that keeping the mind active may have various benefits, including a reduced risk of dementia. In general, it would seem sensible to keep the mind as well as the body active. There are many ways to do this, and it certainly has not been proven that the only way to do this is by using a computerised training program.

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