Attention Training May Help Older Adults Improve Concentration

Can a fitness program for your brain improve thinking and concentration the way lifting weights can increase muscle strength? Early results from a Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center study suggest that attention training can change brain activity so older adults can block out distractions and improve concentration.

Findings from the study, which used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to record brain activity, were presented today (June 14) at the Organization for Human Brain Mapping conference in Chicago.

"There are a growing number of activities, from crossword puzzles to Sudoku, promoted as ways to keep our minds young," said Jennifer Mozolic, a Wake Forest graduate student who presented the results. "Our early data suggest that attention training is indeed a way to reduce older adults' susceptibility to distracting stimuli and improve concentration."

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