Dear AuntMinnie Member,
You're never too old to train your brain. That's the lesson from a new study out of Ireland in which senior citizens who participated in a rote-learning exercise saw improved mental function over time -- a process that was documented by MR spectroscopy.
In a study presented at last month's RSNA meeting, Jonathan McNulty from University College Dublin and Richard Roche, Ph.D., of the National University of Ireland in Maynooth discussed their work in documenting the effects of brain training in a population of senior citizens.
Previous research has shown that mental exercise leads to improved neural function. But McNulty and Roche wanted to find out whether there was an underlying metabolic process involved, and chose MR spectroscopy as their tool.
They took a group of senior citizens and gave them a rote-learning exercise, such as memorizing a poem or newspaper article. They then tested memory function at various points, while simultaneously also administering MR spectroscopy studies.
The mental function of the study group did indeed improve, but not exactly in the way the researchers expected. MR spectroscopy proved invaluable in documenting the changes.
Learn about the research by clicking here. We'll be delivering more AuntMinnieTV segments like this in the weeks to come, so stay tuned.
