Can you really train your brain?

Books and video games that claim to stimulate grey matter are little more than useless, according to the experts. So what can we do to sharpen our minds? Dan Roberts reports.

How would you describe your mental state at this precise moment? Alert, razor-sharp and crystal-clear? Or a tad foggy perhaps, struggling to remember the name of that … actor who played … Now what’s his damn name ?… Just watched the DVD last week!

Sadly, as advancing years take their toll, many of us fall into the latter camp – unable to remember names and dates that we once plucked from the past with ease, and labouring over the easy Sudoku or the quick crossword. And age is not our only enemy: chronic stress, persistent overwork, a hectic and energy-draining lifestyle, the attention-span obliterating nature of quick-fire communications such as texting and Twitter – all conspire to make us feel frazzled and dull-witted. <!–more–>
Source:The Independent