Mark's Notebook


	Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. - Proverbs 16:8

Doing the tango keeps the brain in step, too

USA Today

Thursday 17 November 2005, 1:49 am
Keywords: News Articles , Round Dancing

By Kathleen Fackelmann, USA TODAY

The hot moves of the Argentine Tango not only keep the aging body in shape, they also may help sharpen the aging brain, according to a study out Tuesday.

That study, presented in Washington at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, adds to a growing body of evidence indicating that such challenging leisure activities as dancing may offer a boost in brainpower that could offset the declines that can come with old age.

The tango is a dance that's both fun to do and involves a series of complex moves that can improve balance. A team recruited 30 seniors ages 68 to 91. Half the group got tango lessons, and the other half were assigned to a walking group.

After 10 weeks, the team looked for improvements in brainpower. Both walkers and tango dancers had better scores on memory tests, but only the tango dancers improved on a multitasking test.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/2005-11-15-tango_x.htm