Today, people indulge in technology in ways that have never been feasible. People are listening to their iPods and various MP3 players, surfing the internet with their tiny notebook computers with free wifi. They are also talking to friends, family and co-workers on an infinite variety of cell-phone models, playing games on their blackberries, or sending tweets from their iPhones. But how does this ubiquitous usage of technology affect our health? Although there have been initial studies that show a link between exaggerated cell phone usage and higher rates of brain tumors, other research indicates that technology may actually strengthen our brains. 

Dr. Gary Small is the Director of the UCLA Memory & Aging Research Center at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior.  He studies how technology affects brain health. "Technology is complicated and our brains are complicated," said Small. According to Small, the brain works under a "use it or lose it" philosophy. Technology may in one aspect increase our brain function and strengthen certain areas, but may also atrophy connections elsewhere if they are neglected. Small indicates that we use technology fluently in our society and this aids our neural circuits that govern those actions, but if we also reduce our conversation, writing and other lingual and social skills, those neural circuits can weaken as a result.

 

However, for seniors, technology may provide a vital role in keeping their brains active. Small was recently involved in a research study that showed regular internet searching increased brain activation in seniors. "We've taken older people who've never used internet searching before and have them practice internet searching. When they spend just an hour a day for a week, we find that there are significant increases in areas of the frontal lobe of the brain that control short-term memory and decision making," said Small. "This is suggestive evidence that an internet search might be a form of exercise for an older person." 

Inspired by the same ideas, and motivated by his own personal tragedy, Dan Michel founded Dakim Brain Fitness, which produces a computer gaming console, which offers seniors a fun and easy way to exercise their brains while enjoying the process. Michel's dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and as he was responsible for the majority of his care, he quickly became frustrated with the lack of tools available offering mental stimulation to help keep his dad's mind limber enough to possibly prevent further deterioration. His experience  caring for his father led him to search out and eventually found Dakim as a way to produce rigorous cognitive stimulation tools for seniors.  "It's a story of necessity being the mother of invention," said Michel. 

Founded in 2001, Dakim is now the leading brand for brain fitness products among senior living communities. The system features a touch screen user interface, and exercises the brain across 6 different brain areas, including viso-spatial recognition, long and short-term memory, language, computation, and critical thinking. The major goal of the system is to slow and possibly prevent the onset of symptoms of dementia and Alzheimer's. "A more important measure of success than just our sales is the changes in people's lives that we're making every day. We've had about 400,000 user sessions and there are about 10,000 people who use our product on a regular basis and it's changing their lives," said Michel. 

Recent studies show that Dakim might be on the right track. According to a study done by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, seniors who participate in highly stimulating leisure activities, like cross-word puzzles, bridge or other mentally engaging activities can reduce their risk of dementia by as much as 60 percent. Another study, published in the August 2009 issue of Neurology, showed that seniors doing the same kind of mentally engaging activities can stave off dementia and delay severe memory loss by more than a year. Although no study has shown that the use of Dakim has an effect on reducing or delaying dementia or Alzheimer's, Dr. Small says more research is underway in this area. 

Cassie Clark is a resident at Kingsley Manor, a retirement community for seniors in Los Angeles. She is a self-described "champion" of the Dakim system and credits it to a large degree with her overcoming depression and regaining her sense of self. She has been using Dakim for over a year, and has seen some significant improvements. "I'm more alert, I concentrate better," said Clark. "I have one in my room, that's how much I was in love with it when I first started playing it. That's how much it helped me in the beginning." Clark now uses the system about once a month, but feels that her continued regular use has helped her regain a sense of purpose and other tangible affects on her life. 

Although some residents may gain from using the Dakim system, others may feel that the computer system is too intimidating to start using. A resident at Ocean House, a retirement community in Santa Monica, walked into the game room to use a stationary bike. When asked if she had ever or would ever use the Dakim machines, she replied that she had not "and was too old to try out all that stuff with the computers." Her sentiments are not unique. During a visit to Ocean House, which lasted a few hours, not one resident came in to use one of the two pristine Dakim systems available. Dakim Research Manager Elizabeth O'Toole was testing new games for Dakim, to evaluate degree of usability and challenge for participants. "This isn't a very active community," said O'Toole in reference to Ocean House, "Others are better."  

Overcoming the technological intimidation factor of the internet is a common challenge for elderly people, but regular brain exercise, stimulation and activities - like those provided by the Dakim program - could be the key to reducing the effects of dementia and Alzheimer's.