Question: What does "mental" exercise mean?
Dr. Amen's Answer:
Mental exercise means acquiring new knowledge. It is possible to use your brain without learning anything new, which in the long run, is not terribly helpful. Whenever the brain does something over and over, it learns how to do that particular thing using less and less energy.
New learning — such as learning a new medical technique, a new hobby, or a new game — helps establish new connections, thus maintaining and improving the function of other areas of the brain that are used less often.
© 2010 Newsmax. All rights reserved.
