Targeting and Exercising Certain Brain Regions Helps Preserve Multi-tasking Skills: Study

By Staff Reporter - 22 Aug '14 01:50AM

Brain Mapping and exercising target areas help preserve multi-tasking skills in later years, says a study.

Multi-tasking daily tasks helps manage and one's save time for important aspects of life like health, family and social life. But, sadly the ability to handle and deliver many duties at a time deteriorates with age and makes one feel less independent and efficient. French experts at the found brain areas related to multitasking can remain sharp and active even during old age by doing mental exercises. They observed 48 seniors who were either assigned in a training program that improved plasticity and attention control or a simple brain exercise.

The participants underwent brain scans to assess changes and developments in resulted by taking regular training and their multi-tasking skills.

Subjects took tests that required them to perform two tasks together by prioritizing their attention to each given task. The researchers instructed participants to allocate 80 percent of their concentration on task A and remaining 20 percent for task B. This ratio gradually changed to 50:50 and 20:80. It was observed that individuals who were placed in the training had higher functioning in the middle prefrontal region associated with multi-tasking skills.

The authors believe this new method particularly benefits those who have sustained brain injuries or damages and also target specific locations to preserve cognitive and mental capacities in old age.

However, they are unsure if this technique will affect our brain structure and volume in the long run.

"We have a long road ahead to get to that point, and we don't know for sure if that would indeed be a desirable outcome. However, our research findings can be used right away to improve the daily lives of aging adults as well as people who suffer from brain damage," said Sylvie Belleville, study author and researcher director at IUGM in a news release.

More information is available online in the journals AGE and PLoS ONE.