And enhancing cognitive prowess later in life could naturally influence one's openness to new experiences, according to a new set of studies.

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Every day it seems like researchers are discovering something else that overturns long-held notions about how the brain operates. In contrast to conventional wisdom, for example, the brain is able to form new neural connections into young adulthood. Now, a new study shows that mental abilities can be boosted -- and aspects of personality enhanced -- well into one's golden years.

Seniors from 60 to 94 years old were split into two groups: One group was assigned to a 16-week course of brain puzzles, completed at home; the other received no special treatment.

The brain games challenged the participants' inductive reasoning skills: for example, finding patterns in numbers and letters, along with crossword puzzles and Sudoku puzzles. When one skill level was completed, the participants turned their work in to the researchers and were given a more challenging set.

All participants took tests that measured their inductive reasoning skills both before and after the 16-week study period. The experimental group (those who did the brain games) scored significantly higher on inductive reasoning after the study was over -- the other group's scores did not change.