Brain Training Games» Brain Training Games – Train your brain and sharpen your mind

Training Consciousness

admin — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 01:36:26 +0000

Common Brain Fitness Myths Debunked

admin — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 01:24:04 +0000

Over the last year we have interviewed more than 10 leading neuroscientists and psychologists worldwide to learn about their research and thoughts, and have news to report.

What can we say today that we couldn’t have said only 10 years ago? That what neuroscience pioneer Santiago Ramon y Cajal claimed in the XX century, “Every man can, if he so desires, become the sculptor his own brain”, may well become reality in the XXI.

Let’s now debunk 10 myths, still too prevalent, that may prevent us from seeing the full potential of this emerging field:

Myth 1: Its all in our genes.

– Reality: A big component of our lifelong brain health and development depends on what we do with our brains. Our own actions, not only our genes, influence our lives to a large extent. Genes predispose us, not determine our fates.

Myth 2: The field of Cognitive/ Brain Fitness is too new to be credible.

– Reality: The field rests on solid foundations dating back more decades. What is new is the number and range of tools that are now starting to be available for healthy individuals.

Myth 3: Medication is and will remain the only evidence-based intervention for a number of brain-related problems.

– Reality: Cognitive training programs are starting to show value as complements to drug-based interventions.

Myth 4: We need to buy very expensive stuff to improve our brains.

– Reality: Every time we learn a new skill, concept or fact, we change the physical composition of our brains. Lifelong learning means lifelong neuroplasticity.

Myth 5: Schools should just focus on basic skills like Reading and Math.

– Reality: Mental muscles, such as working memory, are fundamental to academic performance and are currently overlooked by the school system.

Myth 6: Crossword puzzles, or our daily job activities, are the best way to keep ones mind sharp.

– Reality: Computer-based programs can be more effective at training specific cognitive skills.

Myth 7: Videogames are always a waste of time.

– Reality: Scientifically-designed, computer-based programs can be a good vehicle for training specific skills. For example, it has been shown that short term memory can be expanded by such programs.

Myth 8: This means kids will spend more time playing videogames.

– Reality: In Japan the worlds earliest adopter of brain-related videogames- overall home videogame sales have declined, with children playing less over time. Interestingly, adults in Japan have started to play brain-related video games more, and we are starting to see the same trend with adults in the US and Europe.

Myth 9: Brain exercise is only for seniors. And, only about memory.

– Reality: People of all ages can benefit from a variety of regular brain exercises. For active professionals, managing stress and emotions is often a good first step.

Myth 10: This all sounds too soft to be of real value to managers and professionals.

– Reality: There is nothing soft about the hard science-based training of specific cognitive and emotional skills.

Now you know. Exercising our brains is as important as exercising our bodies!

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/self-improvement-articles/cognitive-fitness-and-health-10-debunked-myths-on-how-your-mind-works-250295.html

About the Author

Alvaro Fernandez is the CEO and Co-Founder of SharpBrains.com, which provides the latest science-based information for Cognitive Fitness and Cognitive Training, and has been recognized by Scientific American Mind, MarketWatch, Forbes, and more. Alvaro holds MA in Education and MBA from Stanford University, and teaches The Science of Brain Health at UC-Berkeley Lifelong Learning Institute.

Rehabilitating with Brain Games

admin — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 20:23:34 +0000

With all the people coming home from the Iraq & Afghanistan wars with traumatic brain injuries, there is a lot of research going into the field of cognitive rehabilitation. Based on the science of neuroplasticity – the belief that the brain can reorder itself – cognitive rehabilitation offers much hope for people who suffer from various forms of mental trauma. The idea is that people can regain the various aspects of cognition that have been lost or damaged by specifically exercising those mental faculties (sometimes known as brain training).

One company, Aptima, has developed a training tool, called adaptive gaming for auditory training and evaluation, or AGATE, which takes participants through a series of puzzles and exercises with a spy-adventure twist to them. Their hope is that after sufficient time spent playing the game, people will start to regain the mental abilities that they have lost.

Brain Fitness News #1

admin — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 21:21:52 +0000

Here are some of the latest scientific findings and articles related to brain fitness and cognitive health:

Turn back the clock on your life: 7 ways to keep yourself young – Inspired by the results of a new study on cognitive fitness in which participants were tasked to live like it was 20 years in the past, this article offers 7 tips on how to stay young by acting younger. Based on the fact that people are more likely to live and stay healthy when they have responsibilities, purpose and feel self-empowered, the idea is that convincing your mind that you are younger and more capable can actually fool your body into being so.
Watch Your Brain – A collection of 5 simple ideas to keep your mind sharp and healthy as you age. A good basic starting point if you are looking for ways to maintain your mind and ward off dementia. For additional ideas, check out these brain fitness tips.
Making Your Brain Sweat – Brain fitness for the elderly and centered around the concept of lifelong learning.
Brain Fitness Council – SharpBrains, a leading analyst blog on brain fitness, has recently launched the Sharp Brains Coun cil for Brain Fitness Innovation

brain fitness blogs

admin — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 18:51:19 +0000

As more and more people are awakening to the power and importance of maintaining a healthy mind, many folks have taken up blogging to share their beliefs and experiences. Empowered by the life-changing effects of a sharper and more agile mind, these bloggers are anxious to spread the word about the myriad benefits of maintaining a high level of brain fitness. Here are a couple good blogs you may want to check out if you want to hear some personal stories of people that have undergone transformations thanks to a growing awareness of their minds and how they choose to use them.

The Best Brain Possible
My Brain Fitness
Brain Fitness Blog: Where the Mind Reigns Supreme
Mental Fitness Blog

Brain Training May Keep Elderly More Ambulatory

admin — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 01:22:02 +0000

Results from a recently released study suggest that computer-based brain training programs may reduce the risk of falling in the elderly. Researchers chose subjects who were having trouble walking and enrolled them in a brain fitness program for eight weeks to see if mental exercises would have an impact on their locomotion. After the training period ended, those who had doing the mental exercises were considerably better at walking and talking than those who had not received any sort of brain exercises.

As more studies like this emerge, the connection between mental and physical health becomes ever more concrete and the myriad benefits of exercising your mind become ever more clear.

Reactive

admin — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 10:24:06 +0000

This easy mental exercise targets your reaction speed, or how quickly you can interpret and react to sensory information. You will be presented with one of two different stimuli (a beep or a visual flash) and you need to then press the space bar as quickly as you can.

Patches

admin — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 07:31:24 +0000

This brain game will exercise you ability to remember and identify patterns. In this instance, you will be working with patterns of colors, which you will need to seek out within a large matrix of colored pieces. The more effectively you can remember the pattern and the more quickly you can isolate it from the larger group, the further you will advance in this game.

FAQs on Neuroplasticity and Brain Fitness

admin — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:12:22 +0000

For those of you that have questions about all this talk of neuroplasticity, brain training, and cognitive fitness, here are a couple FAQs you might want to check out, courtesy of Alvaro Fernandez of SharpBrains. These articles address many of the common questions, confusions and misperceptions surrounding this nascent science.

15 FAQs of Neuroplasticity and Brain Fitness
Top 7 FAQs on Brain Fitness & Brain Training
Brain Exercise FAQs

Time Frames

admin — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:40:39 +0000

This game targets your brain’s ability to sense the passage of time. The object of the game is to track a series of hidden countdowns and try to expose them before they expire (yet as close to the end of the countdown as possible). To be successful at this game, you will need to effectively track the passage of time, and also use your memory to keep track of where you have placed each countdown.