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The Latest in Mental Health: Working Out at the 'Brain Gym'

Outfits Promise to Keep Older Minds Sharp With Computers, Walnuts and Green Tea

最新的心理健康法：到大腦健身房 練練 ' 健腦操 '
用電腦，吃核桃和喝綠茶可保持老年人思維敏捷

by Kelley Greene

SAN FRANCISCO -- Linda Hale Bucklin, a 63-year-old writer, signed up on the spot when she saw a new "gym for the brain" in her neighborhood here. She now works out three times a week and credits a computer "visual processing" program for helping her find her car keys faster and sharpen her tennis skills.

美國加州舊金山 -現年 63 歲的作家琳達海爾巴克林，看到了新的 “ 大腦健身房 ” 在她家附近開張，她當場簽約加入會貞。她現在的每週到大腦健身房練 3 次 “ 視覺處理 ”的 健腦操。她歸功視覺處理 ”的 健腦操有助於她快一點找到她的車鑰匙，並提高她的網球技術。

On the court, "my game is just at a different level," says Ms. Bucklin. "I'm playing with 40-year-olds, and I'm holding my own really well."

她說在球場上 “ 我的球技又上一層。現在我與 40 歲的對手對打，也撐的住。 ”

Linda Hale Bucklin

Vibrant Brains, the business that drew her in, has attracted about 200 members since December 2007, according to its owners . Patrons pay $60 a month to work out on 20 computer stations loaded with "mental fitness" software, including a " neurobics circuit " that purports to stretch the brain. Ms. Bucklin says she's addicted to an art-auction game that displays a dozen Monets for purchase. "Then they'll intersperse them with other Monets, and you have to tell them apart," she says. "I minored in art history, and I still find it difficult."

她參加的動動腦，自 2007 年 12 月成立以來，現有大約 200 名會員。會費每月 60 美元，會員可使用電腦健身房內 20 台裝有 “ 精神健康 ” 的軟件的電玩，其中包括 “ neurobics 電路 ” 聲稱伸展大腦 ( 替大腦拉筋 ) 。巴克林女士說，她很迷一個藝術的拍賣場電玩。這個電玩內有 一 些 Monets 的 作品。 “ 這些作品散置在螢幕上 ( intersperse) ，你得把這些作品分開。 ( 好像拼圖 ) ” 她說。 “ 我雖然大學 副 修 美術史，還是覺得很難。

Thousands of Americans are choosing to join a small, but growing, number of "brain gyms" springing up around the country. Similar brain-teaser programs are available on home computers, sometimes free of charge. The scientific jury is still out on the efficacy of such software.

成千上萬的美國人 ， 正在選擇加入全國各地越來越多 的小型 大腦健身房 。 類似 “ 腦 袋瓜 回 春的 ” 電腦軟件 也 可以 裝 在家裡的電腦，有 些 軟件甚至免費的。 但 科學團 體還沒有証實這些 電腦軟件的療效。

The centerpiece of most outlets is a computer lab equipped with software from companies with names like Posit Science Corp., CogniFit Ltd., Lumos Labs Inc. and Happy Neuron Inc. Like gym rats who hit the weight machines or take Pilates classes, some users of the new technology say they prefer working with personal trainers. In this context, sessions are spent doing things like mental-fitness assessments and relaxation exercises in addition to basic cognitive training.

電腦實驗室內最主要的配備軟件是來自 Posit Science 公司， CogniFit 有限公司， Lumos Labs 公司和 Happy Neuron Inc( 快樂神經元 ) 公司等軟体公司。就好比一些樂愛健身者在健身房內 用重量機器或上普拉提課程時，有些新科技用戶會比較喜歡由個人教練帶領使用。在這種情況下，個人科技教練會在輔導時，除了基本的認知訓練，也做心理健康評估，以及放鬆訓練，。

Sparks of Genius, in Boca Raton, is a Florida start-up drawing older adults with "scientific-based brain-fitness workouts." In southern California, a dozen "Nifty after Fifty" fitness clubs are combining traditional exercise with time in front of computer screens, claiming that mental calisthenics work best after physical exercise. Canyon Ranch, a Tucson, Ariz.-based spa operator, has added a series of "Memory & More" programs at its Lenox, Mass., resort, which include classes in brain nutrition, genetic workups, and cognitive training.

由美國佛羅里達州 Boca Raton 市 起 ， 出了個行銷好點子，老年人們被吸引參加名為 “ 科學為基礎的健腦鍛練 ” 的 健身俱樂部。 在南加州， 有一 堆 名 為 “ 時尚的 50 多 ” 的健身俱樂部，結合電腦螢幕前動動腦加上傳統身体運動的時間，聲稱在體能鍛煉的後進行腦袋健美操功效最加。亞利桑那州的峽谷農場經營圖森的溫泉業者，在他另一個位於其雷諾克斯，馬薩諸塞州度假勝地的 Spa ，又增添了一系列的 “ 記憶與更多 ” 項目，其中包括腦營養 班 ，遺傳 workups 和認知訓練。

Brain exercise is spreading beyond gym walls, too. In Chicago, "Marbles: The Brain Store" offers classes on improving mental health. The New England Cognitive Center, a nonprofit group in Hartford, Conn., is teaching trainers to take its "Brain G.Y.M.M." program to community centers around the country. More than 700 retirement communities have added computerized brain-fitness centers in the past three years, according to Alvaro Fernandez, co-founder of SharpBrains Inc., a firm that surveys the brain-fitness software market.

健腦運動已蔓延出健身房的大牆。芝加哥的 “ 大理石：腦商店 ” 提供改善心理健康的課程。位於康涅狄格州哈特福德市，一個名為新英格蘭認知中心的非盈利性組織，正在培訓 “ 腦 GYMM ” 課程的教練，計劃向全國各地社區中心推行。根據一家調查腦健身軟件市場公司的 SharpBrains 公司的共同創始人阿爾瓦 . 羅費爾指出，在過去三年中，已有 700 多所退休社區增加了電脂化腦健身中心。

"We saw this area explode last year," says Mr. Fernandez. He estimates that consumers spent more than $80 million in 2008 on mental fitness. "You have an industry with tools and coaches. This is more real than people think."

費爾南德斯先生說， “ 去年我們看到這一個領域的迅速擴展。 ” 他估計，消費者在 2008 年就身心健康的花費超過 8000 萬美元的。 “ 你有一個有工具和教練的行業。這行業比人們的想像更真實。 ”

The industry pins its claims for brain exercise on a relatively new scientific discovery: neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to rewire itself throughout life by creating neural connections in response to mental activity. In a study published in 2006 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, a clinical trial involving 2,832 older adults concluded that "cognitive training" -- such as identifying patterns in a series of letters or words -- helped improve memory and reasoning skills.

業界以相對性較新的科學發現 : 宣稱大腦運動的有效性：神經可塑性就是腦有為生活本身創造神經連接響應心理活動的重新配線 (rewire) 能力。在美國醫學協會 2006 年會所在發表的一份試驗涉及 2832  老年人的臨床研究報告結論是， “ 認知能力訓練 ” – 好比確認一系列字母或字詞的模式，可幫助改善記憶和推理能力。

Can you name who painted "The Persistence of Memory"? Fold a piece of paper into a brain shape? Try some exercises designed to test your mental fitness.

• 
  
• Speed: Brain response to sounds
• Origami Brain: Make a brain model out of paper 
• Cool Brain Trick: See hidden 3D images
• Brain Aerobics: Test your memory and attention skills

A more recent study, of 487 adults aged 65 and older, found that people who trained on brain-fitness software for 40 hours over eight weeks noted significant improvement with memory and attention skills. The study is scheduled to be published in the April edition of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

最近一個以 487 名 65 歲以上的成年人的研究結果發現，在 8 個星期內使用上 40 個小時以上腦健身軟件的訓練的人，有明顯的改善記憶和注意力的技能。這項研究定於發表於 4 月出版 April, 2009) 的美國老人科期刊上。 (Geriatrician 老人科醫生 )

That said, "mental fitness" is still a squishy concept. Some scientists consider brain gyms simply the latest gimmick to trade on the public's fear of age-related dementia. An estimated 5.3 million Americans already have Alzheimer's disease. And as the huge baby-boom generation continues to gray, the Alzheimer's Association predicts that, by 2010, nearly a half-million new cases will develop every year -- a trend that will last for decades.

話雖如此， “ 精神健康 ” 仍是糊狀的概念。一些科學家認為大腦健身房的最新花招是釘對對公眾的恐懼與年齡有關的癡呆症。據估計， 530 萬的美國人已經有阿爾茨海默氏症。  在阿爾茨海默氏症協會預測 ，   龐大的嬰兒潮一代繼續老化，到 2010 年，每年將有近 50 萬新發病例，這一趨勢將持續數十年。 

Some neuroscientists say it's simply too early to tell whether a specific form of brain exercise will result in lasting benefits or a lower incidence of dementia.

一些神經科學家說， 現在 判斷的 那 一種具體形式健腦操 會有 持久的利益或降低癡呆症的發病率 還 太早。

"Cognitive activity is probably good, and it may make someone sharper. But there's very little evidence that shows that these things in a controlled trial reduce Alzheimer's disease or affect everyday function," says David Loewenstein, a psychiatry professor at the University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine.

美國邁阿密大學的米勒醫學院的神精科學教授大衛斯坦說 “ 認知活動可能是良好的，而且可能使某人腦清敏。但是，很少的證據能証明，這些對照試驗的結果能減少阿爾茨海默氏症或影響日常生活的功能， ”

But the "worried well" and people already in the early stages of dementia aren't waiting for research findings. More than 5.5 million copies of Nintendo Co.'s "Brain Age" games have been sold in the U.S. since 2006, the company says, jumpstarting awareness of the brain-exercise field.

但是，人 們 已經在 " 很擔心 ” 老年癡呆症 的 早期階段，等 不及 研究結果。任天堂公司表示 ，自 2006 年以來 ， 在美國已經銷 出 超過 550 萬份的 “ 大腦年齡 ” 遊戲， 頂先 認識大腦運動領域。

While many brain-flexing centers are marketed primarily toward baby boomers, that generation's parents are signing up, as well. Last year, Eva Slane, an 80-year-old retired theatrical agent, joined Neurobics Club, a brain gym in Sarasota, Fla. "I would like to stay as sharp as I am," she says. Her favorite piece of equipment at the moment: the Dakim BrainFitness System, a touch-screen computer that uses a game-show-like format with stories, voiceovers and pre-1950s film and music clips.

雖然許多腦運展示銷售中心多以嬰兒潮一代為主，而這一代的父母也在申請然加。去年 (2008) ，一名 80 歲的退休戲劇代理人，伊娃斯萊恩，，加入美國佛羅里達州 Sarasota 的大腦健身房 Neurobics 俱樂部，她說 “ 我想保持我的精明 ” 。她目前最喜歡的一件設備： Dakim BrainFitness 系統，，使用一個觸摸屏電腦遊戲玩各式的故事劇情，旁白，和 50 年代電影和音樂剪輯。

Working out at Vibrant Brains, a 'brain gym' in San Francisco.

Marshall Kahn, an 82-year-old family doctor in Fullerton, Calif., says he got such a boost from brain exercises he started doing at a "Nifty after Fifty" club that he decided to start seeing patients again part-time. "Doing all the mental exercise," he says, "I realized I've still got it."

在加利福尼亞州富勒頓的一個 82 歲的家庭醫生馬歇爾卡恩說，從他開始加入做 “ 時尚的 50 多 俱樂部 ” 做 健腦操後， 他的大腦受到了刺激，他決定開始用部分時間看病人，當半職醫生。 “ 我做全部的健腦操 ， ” 他說， “ 我意識到我寶刀未老 。 ”

Lisa Schoonerman, the 41 year-old co-founder of Vibrant Brains LLC, says she first looked into cerebral gyms after her mother was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia -- an often fast-progressing form of memory loss. Her partner, Jan Zivic, had used earlier versions of brain games after a car accident 11 years ago left her in a coma and compromised much of her memory. Both were struck by the idea of bulking up the brain, what brain scientists refer to as "cognitive reserve." The theory: People engaged in greater degrees of mental stimulation increase their brain mass and neural pathways, protecting them if a brain injury or dementia starts chipping away at brain connections.

41 歲的麗莎 Schoonerman ， 動動腦的 創始人之一說，她第一次細看 大腦健身房 的可行性 是在她的母親被診斷為額顳葉癡呆 - 一種快速進展的記憶喪失病症。她的合作夥伴， Jan Zivic ，使用過舊版的 健腦操電玩。 Jan Zivic 在 11 年前車禍昏迷，並損害許多她的記憶。兩人同時想到鼓脹大腦，也就是腦科學家稱為 “ 認知儲備 ” 的理論，一種以對人們從事更大程度的腦神精刺激來提高其質量和大腦的神經傳導，假設腦損傷或癡呆開始削弱大腦連接的也可以保護。

The duo's first storefront, dubbed vibrantBrains, has a small retail area, computer lab and a lounge stocked with walnuts and green tea. (Some nutritionists say such snacks promote brain health.) A second location opened in January.

兩人的第一個店面，被稱為 vibrantBrains 動動腦 ，有一個小規模的零售區，電腦實驗室和一間擺放著核桃和綠茶的休息室。（一些營養學家說，這種小吃促進大腦健康。 ） 第二分站 ,2009 年 1 月開業。

Customer Gail Moore, 63, says it was tough to adjust to never feeling like she "won" at the exercises. "I simply hate this one called 'Master Gardener.' All the leaves look exactly alike to me, and I keep missing it. But I keep telling myself that the point is not getting very good at something, the point is doing it."

63 歲的客戶，蓋爾摩爾說，適應這場電玩比賽很艱苦，因為從未在練習上有 “ 贏 ” 的感覺。 “ 我恨這個所謂的 ' 園丁大師 ’ 的電玩。所有的葉子看起來一模一樣，我一直找不到那片葉子。但我一直告訴自己，不是要做的好，關鍵是去做 。 "

Write to Kelly Greene at kelly.greene@wsj.com

Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page A1

Published on March 28, 2009 in the World Street Journal

By Kelley Greene

(凱莉.葛林於華爾街日報美國 版，A1(頭版)頁2009年３月28日報導)

請到女性健康內在革命ㄉ討論區 城市留言討論，本人動作慢，事情多，時間太少，可能無法短時間內回應，希望有經驗、有高見者的格友，一起回應。謝謝！

Brain Teaser 軟體參考介紹

http://www.sharpbrains.com/teasers/brain-games-and-teasers-top-50/

http://www.braingle.com/

http://www.mind-power-for-success.com/brain-teasers.html