Column: Brain distortion or brainwashing: can crossword puzzles and word games sharpen memory? (2023)

It's a daily ritual for millions of people. You wake up, pour yourself a cup of coffee, and finally head outside to do one or more puzzles, word games, and other puzzles.

The test of banking knowledge and problem-solving skills can boost or drain your ego. But either way, you're cleaning the cobwebs, aren't you? It's the "use it or lose it" theory at work, and as I get older I like to think that these mental exercises can help keep my mind sharp and maybe even prevent memory loss, although my wife usually tells me hit. all these games

But is there any science behind it, or is it an illusion?

I'm trying to solve this mystery because since thenstartI heard about the Golden State column two months ago from many readers who, like me, believe at least a little in the value of mental gymnastics.

"To keep my brain working," wrote Jairo Angulo, 73, of West L.A., "I play Wordle, complete Jumble, do Sudoku, KenKen and crosswords every day."

José Galván, 77, said he believes his daily routine of crosswords, Wordle and "one or more Sudoku grids" keeps him "mentally sharp".

I don't mean to crush the spirits of Angulo, Galván or anyone else who works daily at the kitchen table with a pencil or digital device in hand, but doing Sudoku or reaching genius level in the spelling bee might not be as beneficial as you might think.

"Solving puzzles itself only improves how you solve them," said Dr. Beau Ances, a professor at the University of Washington who specializes in neurodegenerative diseases. "I'm not sure if it improves long-term cognition."

Ances said he has patients who love the puzzles and strongly encourages them to keep going; Having a daily ritual to look forward to is beneficial in many ways. For example, Galván told me that solving a riddle is good for your self-esteem.

The word yowza in Merriam Webster's Official Scrabble Players Dictionary. To some people's surprise, scientists say there is no strong evidence to support a link between wordplay and brain health.

(Richard Drew / Associated Press)

Another benefit, Ances said, is that because some puzzles get harder as the week progresses, it's helpful for a doctor to know that you used to make it to the end of the week but now have it until Wednesday or Thursday.

But don't count on it to avoid senility.

Debra Cherry, clinical psychologist and executive vice president of Alzheimer's Los Angeles, said there is no strong evidence to support the widespread belief in the value of word games and other brain-enhancing products. actually sheagency websitemakes a caveat:

“There is a lot of information available on the internet about brain health, but it is important to understand that there is currently no proven way to absolutely prevent Alzheimer's or any other dementia. Be careful who promises that."

It's not that there's no hope for progress, Cherry said, and he strongly recommends intellectual stimulation as a component of healthy living. But when it comes to activities that can improve eyesight, he said, "the strongest evidence is aerobic exercise."

In fact, half a dozen experts I interviewed cited exercise, a heart-healthy diet, social engagement, good sleep habits, and general physical health as keys to mental acuity.

"Everyone wants to say, 'Oh, when I do crosswords or, oh, when I eat blueberries,'" said UC Irvine neuroscientist Dr. Claudia Kawas, who started along term studyof Laguna Woods residents age 90 and older. But "a healthy lifestyle includes physical and cognitive activity, period."

dr. Scott Grafton, a neuroscientist at the University of California, Santa Barbara and author of "physical intelligence“says humans didn't evolve to sit around and play word games. 75,000 years ago, he said, they had to face tough physical and social challenges to survive. Because of our heritage, a brisk walk through the woods off the beaten path is better for us than a walk in a park, Grafton said, and "the cognitive challenge in the former promotes brain health in profound ways."

The Lancet Commission identified 12 risk factors for dementia, including heavy drinking, smoking and infrequent social contact. Therefore, avoiding these things as much as possible can be more useful than mastering Sudoku.

(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

dr. Lon Schneider, a professor at the USC Keck School of Medicine and a member of the Lancet Commission on the Prevention of Dementia, once told me that if I occasionally forget where I left my keys, there's nothing to worry about unless you find them. na geladeira. When I asked him about cognitive support, he sent me alancet messagewhich identified 12 risk factors for dementia.

The 12 are binge drinking, head injury, exposure to air pollution, lack of education, high blood pressure, hearing impairment, smoking, obesity, depression, sedentary lifestyle, diabetes, and infrequent social contact.

Therefore, avoiding these things as much as possible can be more useful than mastering Sudoku.

But, as we all know, medical science has a long history of rethinking what is good or bad for us, and there is no more mysterious organ in the body than the brain.

And while experts don't fully understand, those I spoke to said learning new things like music and languages ​​can help.

So I was particularly interested in an email from Michael Suttle, a Dana Point resident, who shared a success story.

In 2010, when he was in his late 50s, Suttle, a software salesman, ocean swimmer and trumpeter, forgot phone numbers and dates. The situation got so bad that he started writing his daily planner to avoid missing meetings.

About four years later, he said, "I noticed a noticeable improvement in short-term memory and wondered why."

The improvement came when Suttle returned to music, practiced hard, and won a spot in the newly formed Dana Point Symphony Orchestra. He also joined the Irvine Symphony and, as a soloist, had to learn difficult new music, including Beethoven's Fifth and Ninth Symphonies and Mahler's Third, Fourth and Fifth.

Michael Suttle, left, plays with Symphony Irvine and believes the song sharpened his memory.

(Edie van Huss)

"Also, the art of performing this onstage in front of a crowded room takes a lot of focus," said Suttle, who found that she no longer needed to write her daily routine.

I would selfishly like to believe that it was music that changed things for Suttle because I spent time on my guitar and learned Spanish. But without large, far-reaching studies, it's hard to draw solid conclusions about all of this. It could be that, for Suttle, a specific goal and the new social networks are as useful to him as making music.

Daniel Levitin, a musician and neuroscientist who discusses the benefits of puns in his book Aging Successfully, told me that it's a little easier to promote music. When I told him about Suttle, Levitin, who also wrote "This Is Your Brain on Music," said that figuring out a song he'd never played before was probably crucial, challenging his fingers to get complex signals to process in his brain.

"There is a possibility that physical and mental tasks together could be beneficial," Levitin said. "You can't make a musical sound without moving something," and this challenges the brain in ways that create "new levels of connectivity." You won't "avoid Alzheimer's disease," Levitin said, but you might "avoid its noticeable effects."

Another argument for music's benefits comes from a small short-term memory study that looked at adults in their 60s and 80s.Teodoro Zanto,The director of the Division of Neuroscience at UC San Francisco Neuroscape told me that 20 participants played a word search game on a tablet for 20 minutes each day, and another 20 played a game that required them to memorize and repeat a musical rhythm.

Participants completed a before-and-after digital facial recognition test, testing their short-term memory. After eight weeks of play, the word search group showed no improvement, but the music group showed a 4% improvement.

"It's not a big change," Zanto said, but he does suggest that "maybe the music could give you a bit of an edge."

Or through other tasks that challenge the mind or the muscles.

"We're constantly pushing kids to learn things, but we're not pushing ourselves to the other side," Kawas said. "I don't think it's a specific activity, but the more the brain is challenged, probably the better."

So if you have a favorite puzzle, keep playing. But when you're good enough, take on the next challenge and it's never too late to learn an instrument or a new language.

steve.lopez@latimes.com