It's likely lots of intellectually challenging activities produce structural/chemical changes in the brain: piano tuning http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-1939

It's likely lots of intellectually challenging activities produce structural/chemical changes in the brain: piano tuning http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19398413 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19398413 playing musical instrument http://www.sott.net/articles/show/216086-Mental-muscle-six-ways-to-boost-your-brain http://www.sott.net/articles/show/216086-Mental-muscle-six-w... I would expect similar effects from learning diff eq's or haskell and maybe from challenging sports like rock climbing, paragliding, or maybe Ashtanga yoga.