Caffeine and Alzheimer's...

An article in Science Daily yesterday starts thusly:

Those cups of coffee that you drink every day to keep alert appear to have an extra perk -- especially if you're an older adult. A recent study monitoring the memory and thinking processes of people older than 65 found that all those with higher blood caffeine levels avoided the onset of Alzheimer's disease in the two-to-four years of study follow-up. Moreover, coffee appeared to be the major or only source of caffeine for these individuals.

A snide remark involving my parents (both of whom drink caffeinated beverages daily) comes right to mind. But I'll restrain myself, as my mom reads this blog. When she can remember, that is...

Good News for Tetris Addicts...

Good news for my mom (a self-confessed Tetris addict):

Sinking blocks and clearing lines in Tetris may pay off with more than just a high score. Playing the classic shape-fitting computer game, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, for just three months may boost the size and efficiency of parts of the brain, a study published September 1 in BMC Research Notes finds.

Just about the only thing anyone's discovered so far that help fend off Alzheimer's is brain exercise. Intellectually difficult games (chess, Scrabble, Boggle, etc.) work. Some kinds of games, generally involving spatial manipulation (e.g., Tetris) also work.

But best of all is learning new skills or new understanding (as opposed to memorization). A great many things fall into these categories, from algebra to zener diode theory. If you're in your 50s or later, you'll stand a significantly better chance of avoiding senility if you stop watching the boob tube and instead start putting your brain to work (and no, the Discovery channel doesn't work out your brain)...