PBS Special - Brain Fitness 1 , 2

The Brain Fitness Program is based on the brain's ability to change and adapt, even rewire itself. In the past two years, a team of scientists has developed computer-based stimulus sets that drive beneficial chemical, physical and functional changes in the brain. Dr. Michael Merzenich of the University of California and his colleagues share their scientifically based set of brain exercises in this life-altering program. Peter Coyote narrates.

Specifications

Originally aired: 2008.11.29

"This program is designed to help people get the most from their senses as they age. It looks at the two important senses of vision and hearing, how they change throughout life, and what we can do to keep them healthy and fully functional. We know that we begin to experience decline in most cognitive functions in our 30s and 40s. As we grow older, the rate of decline increases, and the cumulative effects become more noticeable. We have increasing difficulty remembering, paying close attention, responding rapidly, performing complex tasks and our coordination and movement and many other cognitive functions that once came easily are now more difficult. But what we notice most is the difficulty hearing in a noisy place or seeing when we look at someone placed in front of a bright light, and we find that our reading slows.
These are symptoms of elemental physical changes in the aging brain. The problem is more than just lapses in memory. This program is based on neuro-plasticity - the ability of the brain to change and adapt -- even rewire itself! It studies how we see and how that changes through life."