Reading reduces brain fog

- Tue, 4 Sep 2007

Reading has been found to increase the brain's capacity for memory. A recent study reported in the New York Times  found that when workers at a lead smelter factory were examined for lead poisoning they found a curious thing. While all of them showed equal damage to the nervous system, some were remarkably better able to think, remember and concentrate than the others. And the thing these workers had in common was that they were all enthusiastic readers.

Scientists have known for some time that good readers enjoy better heath than others. But they had always put this down to good readers being better educated, more affluent and with a better diet. But this latest study upended that view.

Dr Margit Bleeker who conducted the study  believes that over years of reading, these workers had developed more of what doctors call cognitive reserve (the brain's capacity for thinking). So that under attack from lead exposure, their brains could summon up this reserve power, preserving their ability to remember, concentrate and make decisions.

As science learns more about how the brain works, it is becoming increasingly evident that the more we work our brain the more we protect it from all kinds of damage. Brain training exercises, such as the computer software games developed by Headstrong are scientifically targeted to stimulate the brain for maximum brain health and shield it against many types of brain damage, particularly that associated with ageing.