If ever you needed a nudge to give your brain a workout, new research underscoring the benefits of "brain training” should offer fresh motivation.

The two long-term studies add to a growing body of evidence that people can boost their brain health by doing mentally stimulating activities, such as learning a language, visiting a museum or playing chess. They also show that consciously working to build cognitive resiliency can delay the onset of dementia for years. That’s an important message as the U.S. grapples with the growing challenge of Alzheimer’s disease, which affects some 7 million Americans and counting.

Both studies were part of a wave of trials started in the U.S. in the late 1990s with the goal of better understanding how lifestyle, genetics, the environment and other factors affect people’s chances of developing dementia. Decades later, they are yielding real insights.

© The Japan Times