The newest online learning opportunities from the American Society on Aging are two talks on cognitive fitness and brain health for elders. Offered by ASA’s MindAlert program with support from the MetLife Foundation, the talks provide an introduction to the latest research on ways to maintain and improve cognitive skills and brain health among older adults. Both talks are offered free of charge:

Intervening With Late-Life Cognition: Lessons From the ACTIVE Study. In this talk, Michael Marsiske of the Department of Clinical Health and Psychology at the University of Florida, Gainesville, discusses highlights from the Advanced Cognitive Training in Independent and Vital Elders (ACTIVE) study. He explores current findings on cognitive intervention programs designed to improve elders’ skills in reasoning, memory and speed of mental processing.

Marsiske places the findings in the context of prior research and proposes new directions for enhancing the quality of life among elders with normal brain function, as well as those with mild cognitive impairment. He also offers a framework for studying brain plasticity and discusses the challenge of ensuring that elders can transfer cognitive fitness skills practiced in formal intervention programs into their everyday activities.

Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain. In this talk, John Ratey, an associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, draws on his research to present another aspect of brain-health interventions for older adults: the positive effects of physical exercise on cognitive function. The talk emphasizes how moving muscles produces proteins that play vital roles in the highest thought processes. Exercise stimulates the body to produce what Ratey calls Miracle-Gro for the brain. "I can't understate how important regular exercise is in improving the function and performance of the brain," he says. "It's such a wonderful medicine."

Available on Demand

Sponsored by the American Society on Aging and MetLife Foundation, MindAlert is dedicated to sharing the latest research on maintaining and enhancing cognitive function in later life. Both of the new MindAlert lectures are available on demand; no preregistration or fee is required. To view the talks and download related materials, visit www.asaging.org/webseminars.

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