Alzheimer's Association Pushes Mental Challenges to Boost Brain Health in Aging

Taking steps to challenge the mind can help maintain brain health with age.

CBS Mornings has partnered with sponsor the Alzheimer's Association for a three-part series, "Brain Health: From Awareness to Action." The series looks at brain-healthy habits that may cut the risk of dementia later in life.

"What we've learned even in the past couple of years is that simple actions that you can take, whether nutrition, physical activity or challenging your mind, can impact your brain health," said Alzheimer's Association CEO and president Joanne Pike.

Mental exercises form one focus of the organization's new "6-Step Challenge." The program provides guidance on science-backed lifestyle changes to support long-term cognition.

"Challenging your mind as part of that is a great way of stimulating your brain and learning new things," Pike said. "It builds a cognitive reserve, so that when you are aging, you have a bank of brain health to rely on."

The best activities to sharpen the mind expose it to new experiences, Pike explained. She said strategy games like chess work better than crossword puzzles or Sudoku, which depend more on routine or rote memorization.

"We want to do things that you have to learn something new or engage in that in a new way," Pike said. She added, "There are multiple ways that you can think about it. The key step is to learn and for it to be novel or new."

Pike recommended chess, where players react to opponents' moves. She also suggested learning a new musical instrument, picking up a language or reading about an unfamiliar topic.

She stressed keeping social connections. "We know, based on science, that individuals who are isolated have a 70 percent greater risk of cognitive decline," Pike said. That makes social ties a key part of brain activation.