Albert Einstein played the violin and Winston Churchill painted landscapes, Ratey notes, to increase their creativity. Something else that clearly helps even the ordinary brain is to exercise the body. Stress, on the other hand, negates the benefits and causes the brain to function less well. Other good advice that's hardly new, but has been given additional emphasis since recent studies, is to get plenty of sleep. Likewise, a proper diet helps.
Several books say yes.
Rather than spending so much time analyzing how the brain works, they teach definite skills. Allen D. Bragdon, founder of Games magazine, is author and co-author of several books with games and exercises for the brain. Although practicing such exercises should make you better at doing them, the question is whether they'll increase your overall brain fitness. As yet, we're not sure. They work through association and employ the five senses to activate different areas of the brain.