Can 'brain training' programs deliver on their claims

As we get older, we worry about keeping our brain sharp.

Computer-based brain games promise to help you stay focused, think faster and rejuvenate your memory.

Subscriptions to these cognitive programs can cost a couple of hundred dollars a year. So, is it worth the money?

"There's no reason to go out and buy these games," said Dr. John Swartzberg, head of the editorial board at the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter. "They're over-hyped. The claims are way beyond what you're going to experience."

Manufacturers say they have solid research that these computerized brain games work.

Dr. Swartzberg sees it differently. In an article for the August issue of the Wellness Letter he writes there is "no convincing evidence that any brain training programs will improve general cognitive abilities or prevent or treat dementia, including Alzheimer's disease."

If you're going to spend an hour a day playing these games, he told me, it would be probably better for your brain to spend that time exercising your body and exercising your mind by doing stimulating things.

More Info: Do 'Brain Training' Programs Work?