Timed word games better than puzzles for brain fog, neurologist says

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 25 Oct, 22:56 · Archive

Timed word games and rapid recall drills work better than crosswords or sudoku for combating brain fog, according to a UCLA neurology professor.

Brain games, crosswords and maths puzzles are often promoted as ways to sharpen memory, but neurologists warn that generic exercises may not address the specific cause of mental fog. Dr. Rhonda Voskuhl, a professor of neurology at UCLA and co-founder of Cleopatra RX in Los Angeles, says brain exercises only work if they target the specific mental function that is slowing down. She told Fox News Digital at the Livelong Women's Health Summit in New York City in September: 'You can't just do random cognitive exercises. They've got to fit the problem.'

Mental fog, especially the kind triggered by midlife hormone changes during perimenopause and menopause, impacts very specific areas of the brain, according to Voskuhl. When estrogen levels drop, overall intelligence and basic logic remain normal. Instead, the brain takes a hit in two main areas: verbal memory (recalling names and words) and processing speed (thinking quickly under pressure). Games like Sudoku primarily exercise logic and maths skills, so they may not improve word-recall difficulties. Research shows that the hippocampus, the memory area, can have some atrophy and functional connection issues.

Timed word games, rapid recall drills and speed reading work better than number puzzles for addressing these problems. Brain fog typically affects retrieval rather than encoding: the word or name is still stored in memory, but the brain's search engine is running slowly.

How it is being reported

• Simple 60-second brain trick could help sharpen memory and fight brain fogTimed word games, rapid recall drills and speed reading work better than puzzles, expert saysNew York Post · 25 Oct, 22:44
• Sharpen memory and fight brain fog with simple 60-second trick from a neurologistDr. Rhonda Voskuhl explains why crosswords and sudoku miss the mark for brain fog and which timed word games actually target verbal memory loss.Fox News · 25 Oct, 20:13

In this story: Dr. Rhonda Voskuhl · UCLA · Cleopatra RX · New York City

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem