Get smart: use your mind or lose it.(wellness: supplements and functional foods; MyBrainTrainer.com improves concentration and mental-processing speed )

Doug McCracken doesn't seem like the kind of guy who needs to do anything extra to keep his brain sharp. Not only is he employed by a publishing company as a songwriter in Nashville, he's also a parttime emergency room physician.

But a year ago, McCracken, 43, noticed that he was growing forgetful about daily details. So he started poking around the Internet looking for some brain exercise activities. He found MyBrainTrainer.com, a site that uses simple tests to improve reflex speed, memory and reasoning ability. Now, 6 months after starting the regimen of mental gymnastics, McCracken believes he's given his brain a boost--he says his memory. and reaction time are improving.

McGracken's experience reflects the growing body of research that shows that people who engage in intellectually stimulating activities can sharpen their mental acuity and maintain it well into old age.

As we learn new skills and concepts, the brain sparks development of synaptic connections--the electrical /chemical circuits that link neurons, the brain cells. Each cell in the brain can potentially be connected to thousands of others. The more connections, the more dense the brain, and the greater the intellectual capacity.

For most of us, the brain is thoroughly stimulated well into our 50s thanks to jobs, continuing education, relationships, child raising and so forth. But people who become less mentally active as they grow older often don't receive--or seek-the stimulation needed to continue forming synapses.

Karlene Ball, a psychology professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, worked as a lead researcher in a major federally funded study of people aged 64-96. The study proved beyond a doubt that the cognitive functions of the elderly can be enhanced through demanding activities that forced them to reason and react quickly. Better news still: A follow-up 5 years later showed thai participants retained their cognitive abilities--even though they hadn't performed any practice exercises.

Mind Sprints