John Hamilton

They looked at people who had all kinds of different conditions like ADHD, early dementia, traumatic brain injuries, and just normal aging.

A couple of months ago, brain HQ exercises were part of this huge study done by the Alzheimer's Association.

Not exactly.

OK.

The study was looking at whether this combination of lifestyle changes, you know, including mental exercise, could slow down the cognitive declines you usually see in people in their 60s and 70s.

OK.

So there were more than 2,000 people in this study.

It went on for two years.

It is.

It cost them about $50 million to do.

Some of the participants just got advice on how to eat better, exercise, stay mentally active.

The others were given a very specific diet.

They were enrolled in exercise classes, and they did brain HQ cognitive training.

Both groups benefited compared with, you know, typical people of their age.

But the group that did intensive mental and physical exercise had better brain health overall.

There's no way to really break that apart.

But one thing to keep in mind is that studies have consistently shown that physical exercise is absolutely the best thing you can do for your brain health.

So researchers are experimenting with ways to combine, for example, a cardio workout with brain training.

I spoke with a scientist at the University of California, San Diego, who is trying to do exactly that.

She's using stationary bikes and virtual reality.