the same.Michael Merzenich at the University of California-San Francisco and his colleagues designed a gamelike computer program that might improve the ability to retain information.The game also trains older people to listen carefully to words, strings of words or sentences and then answer questions about what they've learned. Older people often have trouble with their hearing, and that can slow down or impair their ability to learn a new task, Merzenich says.The group trained 42 seniors to use the computer program. They found the seniors did better on standard tests of memory and attention compared with 33 control-group seniors, some of whom used a computer during the eight weeks but not the specialized game.Both studies underscore the importance of a good mental workout. "The brain is like a muscle," says Paul Coleman at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Seniors should pick an activity they enjoy, such as tennis or bridge, and then "just do it," Coleman says.Press ReleaseSTUDIES WITH DANCING, COMPUTER TRAINING, SHOW WAYS TO MAINTAIN A HEALTHY BRAIN IN OLD AGEhttp://apu.sfn.org/content/AboutSFN1/NewsReleases/am2005_healthybrain.htmlFor immediate release.NR-11-05 (11/15/05). For more information, please contact Sara Harris at (202) 462-6688 or sharris@sfn.org.STUDIES WITH DANCING, COMPUTER TRAINING, SHOW WAYS TO MAINTAIN A HEALTHY BRAIN IN OLD AGEWASHINGTON, DC, November 15, 2005 Scientists are unraveling the mysteries of how the brain agesand none too soon. The number of people living past age 65 has increased dramatically during the last century, from slightly over 4 percent in 1900 to 13 percent in 2000. Its estimated that by 2050, when the baby boomer generation is fully ensconced in its elderly years, 20 percent of Americans will be 65 or older. Indeed, the fastest-growing segment is people over age 85.As the population ages, the incidence of neurodegenerative disorders associated with old age, such as Parkinsons disease, Alzheimers disease, and other forms of dementia, will rise significantly, placing an emotional and economic burden on an increasing number of individuals and families as well as on the public health system. Fortunately, most people do not develop such diseases as they age, but they do experience age-related memory and other cognitive declines. By better understanding how and why those declines occur, scientists hope to find preventive and therapeutic treatments that will help the growing population of the elderly retain active, productive lives throughout their lives.According to new research, two effective treatments for maintaining a healthy brain include tango dancing and a specialized computer training program.Just as the aging of a bottle of wine is a function of the grape and vineyard that the wine came from and how its treated during its life, so is the aging of the human body and brain, says Paul Coleman, PhD, professor of neurobiology and anatomy at the University of Rochester Medical Center. So people need to treat the brain properly and take care of it and do things to it that will increase its longevity.Theres plenty of good news about the aging brain. Recent neurobiological studies have found that healthy individuals lose far fewer nerve cells (neurons) in the brain as they age than previously thought, says