Dr. Kawashima, please explain why you believe people should ‘train their brains’.

"If we only use our body in routine movements in our day to day life, physical strength actually weakens. This means that using our bodies in routine ways is not enough to maintain and improve our physical strength."

"We can say the same about our brain. When we use our brain every day in a routine manner, this may not be enough to challenge it. Therefore we should consciously challenge our brain to do different things for about 5–10 minutes every day at least."

"We have learnt from our experiments that the brain can be trained in this way. Just as you can challenge and train your body, so can you challenge, train and stimulate your brain."

Does the brain get older in the same way as the body?

"In certain respects the brain is not different from the rest of our body. The more you use the brain in a challenging way, the better it can work. On the other hand, we know that the mental processes of our brain start to weaken if we only use it within our normal routine daily life. So, if you stimulate your brain in a challenging way regularly every day even for a short time, you may notice that your brain starts working more efficiently."

What are the best ways to train the brain?

"There are three principles involved in challenging and training your brain. First of all “read, write and calculate”, second, “communicate with other people efficiently” and third, “create something using your fingers”. By combining these three principles into our everyday life in a challenging and creative way, we can help maintain the sharpness of our brain."

What is the scientific reasoning behind your ‘brain training’ method?

"During the 'brain imaging' research, in which we capture the activity of the brain in photographic images, we focused on the relationship between our brain and our body. We hypothesised that the more you train your brain the better the brain can function, just as we can also train our body to help keep it fit."


What role does the prefrontal cortex of our brain play?

"The prefrontal cortex is a part of our brain which is developed only in humans and gives us the mental processing functions which are typical of humans."

"Thinking, creating something new, effective communication with other people, high aspirations, and concentration – we know that all these functions are influenced by the prefrontal cortex. It is also thought to be a place for processing and integrating information, such as the proper evaluation of information in accordance with the context and the initiating of an activity. It is also very influential in coordinating the control of our emotions and actions."