Brain Games: Can They Improve Memory and Lower Risks of Alzheimers?

What are "brain games" and how do they work?

Brain fitness programs generally are available either online or as computer software. They are designed for persons who want to maintain or improve memory, attention and problem-solving ability.

Most are interested in slowing or reversing dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

A brain fitness program consists of games or exercises that should challenge the user in specific ways in things that you do not normally do.

Doing crossword puzzles is often believed to improve the brain but it only reinforces brain skills that you already have. They don’t force your brain to build new neurons and synapses. It’s similar to exercising just one part of your body and neglecting the rest.

"A failure to challenge yourself with new learning is a contributing cause to end-of-life decline," asserts Dr. Michael Merzenich, neuroscientist at the University of California in San Francisco.

Merzenich has demonstrated that practicing a new skill, under the right conditions, can change hundreds of millions of the connections between the nerve cells in our brain maps.

How Cognitive Training Works in Brain Games
"Neuroplasticity" refers to the physical changes that are continually taking place in your brain as you experience and adapt to the world around you. During every day of your life, neurons and the connections between them change to encode information.

By influencing this plasticity with the right activities, it is possible to train your brain to function better. Learning new things and challenging yourself frequently may promote more constructive neuroplasticity, and help prevent or off-set the negative effects of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, or aging.

The exercises in the brain games are designed to stimulate the neuroplasticity that leads to improved cognitive ability and a healthier brain.

Improving Cognitive Ability
Fundamental cognitive abilities – such as memory, attention and processing speed – can be improved with brain games.

The Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) study, funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH,) demonstrated that older adults could improve their cognitive abilities with proper training, and that some of these gains were maintained several years later.

In this experiment conducted by a number of researchers across the US, over 2800 adults aged 65-94 received training in memory, reasoning, or processing speed. After about 10 hours of training, each group improved significantly in the area that they trained. Even 5 years later subjects maintained many of their improvements.

A Balanced Brain Workout
The Lumosity Brain Games are the result of synthesizing and building upon the cumulative work of neuroscience, psychology and cognitive science researchers worldwide.

Their research forms the basis for creating the most effective games and exercises in each cognitive area.

To fully cross-train the brain you need high quality scientifically designed brain programs that produce improvements in the following areas:

Memory
Memory exercises target the types of memory that are important in everyday life such as working memory, spatial memory, and remembering names and faces.

Attention
Concentrating on relevant information while ignoring irrelevant information is improved by games that exercise visual attention, selective attention, and shifting focus.

Processing Speed
Speed of processing underlies how quickly a person can think, take in sensory information, or conduct other cognitive processes such as comprehending language.

Cognitive Control
Control of other cognitive processes is necessary for thinking and acting according to internal goals.

I'm Gene Millen, host of this website.

Lumosity is not the only "brain-training" site I've reviewed, but it is one of the most scientific. The games have been lab-tested and shown to improve memory, attention and processing speed.

Two of my favorites are Bird Watching and Monster Garden They are surprisingly fun, and I also like the feature of being able to track my progress.

For a Free Trial go to Scientific Brain Training: Lumosity Brain Fitness Program. The cost is only $6.60 a month.

May your Brain be nimble brain be quick.

Quicker than lightning...never missing a trick!

Gene