Sir Thomas More (the magnificent Paul Scofield) has to wrestle with his conscience when he is appointed High Chancellor to King Henry VIII (Robert Shaw). The King wishes More’s support in his decision to divorce his wife, Catherine of Aragon, in favour of Anne Boleyn.

When More refuses and resigns from his office, he hopes to live out his life in peace and quiet. But he falls foul of a plot by Thomas Cromwell (Leo McKern) to remove him permanently.

As the inevitable conclusion nears, there is a heart rending scene when the family visit More and beg him to compromise his views.

This is a high class production, essentially faithful to historical accuracy, and the result is a gripping, moving and powerful film about faith and power.

To buy A Man for All Seasons in the Canny Minds shop, click here.

If you are interested in this topic, you may also enjoy Wolf House by Hilary Mantel.

A host of celebrities have kicked off the experiment on the BBC science series Bang Goes the Theory.

People are being asked to take part in regular memory and reasoning tests to see if they can boost brain function.

Dementia experts believe such computer tests could help ward off and slow the development of the disease.

But, to date, evidence has been mixed on the effectiveness of so-called brain training.

Dementia is caused by the mass loss of cells in the brain, and some believe one way to guard against it is to build up as many connections between cells as possible by being mentally active throughout life.

The theory has prompted several firms to market brain training programmes, but a recent investigation by consumer group Which? found only “weak” evidence they worked.

However, King’s College London research has shown that keeping the mind active though things such as work or computer use, especially later in life, could help.

The BBC now wants to put brain training to the test by asking the British public to take part in the nine-month study, Brain Test Britain.

Participants will carry out 10-minute online brain training exercises three times a week for at least six weeks. Before and after the study they will be tested to see if they have improved brain function.

The trial will be launched on the BBC One show by radio presenter Evan Davis and celebrities including Richard McCourt, of Dick and Dom, and TV astrologer Russell Grant.

See www.bbc.co.uk for more details.

Photo courtesy of snowblink

Keeping the brain active through hobbies such as crosswords, puzzles, reading, writing and playing card games, can all postpone the start of symptoms of the condition.

The findings add to a growing body of evidence that exercising the brain can help to protect against the disease in later life.

Experts warn that the number of people affected by dementia will spiral in coming decades, in part because of an ageing population.

Researchers looked at activities including crossword puzzles, playing board or card games, talking in groups, playing music, or even simply reading or writing.

They found that people aged between 75 and 85 who did an average of 11 of the activities every week tended to experience memory problems almost one year and four months later into the progression of the disease than those who did just four a week.

“The effect of these activities in late life appears to be independent of education,” said Charles Hall, who led the study. “These activities might help maintain brain vitality.

“Further studies are needed to determine if increasing participation… could prevent or delay dementia.”
The researchers found that for every additional activity an older person undertook a week the onset of rapid memory loss characteristic of the condition was delayed by an average of just over two months.

The study followed 488 older people over a five-year period, during which 101 of them developed dementia.
On average people who went on to develop the condition did one of the six activities every day, according to the findings, published in the journal Neurology.

The findings reinforce the idea that “cognitive reserve” could be built up by taking part in activities that exercise the brain.

Rebecca Wood, chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, said:

“This study shows that exercising the brain may delay the start of memory loss in people who develop dementia.

“This adds to the ‘use it or lose it’ hypothesis that we can reap the benefits of stimulating our minds regularly, perhaps by doing crosswords, playing chess or adding up the shopping before getting to the till.

“Dementia risk can be reduced by eating a healthy diet, whilst keeping an active body and mind.

“With more research we may be able to find ways of preventing dementia. 1.4 million people in the UK will develop dementia within a generation, so we need to invest now.”

Around 700,000 people in Britain currently suffer from dementia, of which around 400,000 have Alzheimer’s, the most common form.

By Kate Devlin, Medical Correspondent, The Daily Telegraph 4th August 2009

Photo courtesy of Off beat mum