The first gym for the mind opened for one night in London. The national Science Museum presented mentally challenging games instead of treadmills.

Memory-enhancing tips were offered with traditional mental games like chess and Rubik's cube as well as hipper alternatives such as the Japanese puzzle Sudoku.

The mind gym event was organized to tackle "cognitive fitness", the concept that mental exercises can curb age-related memory loss and boost intelligence.

"It's an exciting idea that stimulating the brain may help stave off mental decline," said Clive Ballard, a professor of age-related diseases at King's College London.

He adds, "However, there is little research evidence so far to support it so we do need better quality and more specific research studies to really fully understand the issue."