CET-6 Listening Practice: Can Older Brains Still Change?

Good morning, and welcome back to our weekly programme about health and everyday science.

My guest today is Frank, a retired engineer who learned to juggle at the age of sixty-six.

Thanks for having me, and I'm delighted to be here this morning.

Frank, I'll be honest with you before we start.

I doubt that an older brain can really change very much.

Oh, my grandchildren said exactly the same thing when I bought my first set of balls!

For years, I assumed that memory loss and slower thinking were simply an inevitable part of ageing.

Then a friend sent me a study that completely changed my mind.

What kind of study are we talking about?

In two thousand and eight, researchers in Germany taught a group of adults around sixty to juggle.

The participants practised for three months, and their brains were scanned before and after the training.

The scans revealed an increase in grey matter in an area that processes movement!

Really? That sounds remarkable, but I'm not convinced the effect lasts.

To be fair, you've raised an important point.

The change was smaller than in younger people who did the same training.

And when the participants stopped practising, the extra grey matter decreased again.

So the benefits are real, but only if you keep practising?

Exactly, the brain seems to follow a simple rule of use it or lose it.

Okay, that's a good point, and I have to admit you've changed my mind.

But surely a crossword every morning does the same job?

I'd rather people try something genuinely difficult than stay inside their comfort zone.

Puzzles you already know how to solve don't really challenge the brain anymore.

So what would you recommend to listeners who want to keep their minds sharp?

Pick up a new skill this month, whether it's a language, an instrument or juggling!

Expect to feel clumsy at first, and practise a little every single day.

Struggling at first simply means that your brain is busy adapting.

Frank, thank you so much for this encouraging conversation.

My pleasure, and I expect to see you juggling next week!