NPR

A Brain Scientist Who Studies Alzheimer's Explains How She Stays Mentally Fit

Alzheimer's prevention specialist Jessica Langbaum says that like most working people she gets plenty of mental exercise without playing crossword puzzles or brain games. She says work is the key.
If you like sudoku, go ahead and play. But staying sharp means using many parts of your brain.

As a specialist in Alzheimer's prevention, Jessica Langbaum knows that exercising her mental muscles can help keep her brain sharp.

But Langbaum, who holds a doctorate in psychiatric epidemiology, has no formal mental fitness program. She doesn't do crossword puzzles or play computer brain games.

"Just sitting down and doing Sudoku isn't probably

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