The Elderly Brain Reshaped: Training the Brain at Any Age? Absolutely!

In the early 2000s, German researchers made a discovery that helped explode the myth that cognitive decline is inevitable with age.

In a groundbreaking 2003 study (published in Nature in 2004), young adults were split into two groups: one group learned to juggle over three months, while the other didn’t. Brain scans before and after showed no change in the non-juggling group — but the new jugglers showed a significant increase in grey matter in areas related to movement and vision.

Even more exciting? A 2008 follow-up study repeated the experiment this time with adults and an average age of 60+. The result? The same grey matter growth. Neuroplasticity wasn’t just for the young, it worked just as well later in life.

And even after they stopped juggling, much of that brain growth remained months later. Proof that neurogenesis - the brain’s ability to grow new cells - is possible well into later life.

So yes: learning new skills, challenging your brain, and engaging in mental training really can reshape your brain no matter your age. The very act of learning something new... Rubik's Cube, a new piece of music - how to remember - all contribute to a stonger memory and help stave off cognitive decline. 

Want to learn more, check out our Memory+Focus collection... and know trhat all our collections are designed to help reinforce brain health.