Is It Really Smart to Teach Old Brains New Tricks?

By Beth Baker Special to The Washington Post Tuesday, August 12, 2008; Page HE01 Some aging experts worry that, when it comes to mind games, the marketing has galloped ahead of the science and that consumers and retirement communities may be plunking down hundreds, even thousands, of dollars on products with little evidence to support their claims. The brain-game craze began with the 2005 launch of Nintendo's Brain Age. The video game's latest version challenges you to speed-memorize 25 numbers, beat the computer at rock-paper-scissors and tell time on an upside-down clock.