Brain might be trainable 



KRISTINE BEREY 



As we age, the brain continues to change and learns to retrieve
information in new ways, says neuropsychologist Sylvie Belleville of the
Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal. 
   In healthy aging, some decline in memory is normal. However, a 1999
study by Ronald C. Petersen, a researcher at the Mayo Clinic, has
demonstrated that among the “worried well,” there is a group whose
memory scores are lower than others of similar age and medication level,
who may have something called mild cognitive impairment. 
   More of a working concept than a diagnosis, 12 per cent of people who
meet the criteria for mild cognitive impairment eventually develop
Alzheimer’s disease – compared with one to two per cent of the general
population. 
   “The concept is useful in that we can intervene early,” Petersen
says. 
   Belleville has developed an innovative program for people complaining
of memory problems in general. Participants in the self-development
program are referred by their doctors and meet for eight weeks for up to
two hours per week. They receive training in attention and information
on how to make the most of their memory. 
   Electrical activity in the brain is measured before and after
completing the program. “We tested a small number of subjects and found
a clear improvement of memory, attention and well-being,” Belleville
said. “Now we need to know if the results were due to the intervention
or just the fact that by going out regularly people gained new
confidence and became less depressed.”