My grandmother is legally blind and deaf, but my dad made a
great comment to me the other day: “she
is blind in one eye and sharp as a tack in the other”. Now 85, for the last 15 years she has had to
adjust to her hearing and vision loss through cognitive flexibility and acutely
tuning her other senses. The
result? An elderly woman who does not
appear to be experiencing any element of cognitive decline. In fact, she knows more about adaptive computers,
closed circuit reading machines, hearing aids and compensatory tools than I
do. The old cliché is true when we talk
of cognition – “use it or lose it”.
Our brains are made of billions of neurons, which interact
with each other to complete specific tasks. Signals are sent from one neuron to
another along neural pathways, and these determine our thoughts, emotions,
insights, and so much more. Each task relies on a different neural pathway, so
the pathway for reading a book is different than the pathway for putting on our
shirt. The more we use a pathway, the stronger the connection becomes.
These neurons have the ability to physically change
themselves when faced with new and difficult experiences. This ability is
called neuroplasticity. As we are exposed to new areas, tasks, information or
experiences, neural pathways are formed and existing ones are reshaped. This
will continue throughout our entire lives as we learn. As we have experienced
through practicing a musical instrument, memorizing our shopping list or
recalling a friend’s phone number, if we consciously focus and train our brains
in a certain area, they will become faster and more efficient at performing
those tasks.
Just as we need to exercise the muscles in our body, we also
need to exercise our brain. One form of brain exercise is called cognitive
training. Online training programs have been developed to allow anyone with an
Internet connection to have a daily cognitive workout by completing exercises
which strengthen our neural pathways. This could include memory, concentration
problem solving, visual perception – you name it!
Here is a list of some of the readily available online
cognitive training programs:
- · Lumosity (www.lumosity.com): Brain training exercises that focus on memory, attention, flexibility, speed of processing and problem solving. Specific areas to work on are selected as your create a personal profile. Lumosity will automatically create a set of five exercises to complete daily, and keep track of your progress. Membership can be purchased on a monthly ($15) or yearly ($80) basis. It can be trialed for free, but the trial has limited games available.
- · Mind Games (www.mindgames.com): Brain games selected to focus on memory, attention, spatial reasoning, problem solving, focus speed, fluid intelligence, stress, reaction time and visual perception. All games on the website can be played for free.
- · Actibrain (www.actibrain.com): Brain exercises to train in verbal, numerical, logical, memory and spatial areas. An online profile can be created for free and workout games played as frequently as you want. Progress charts keep track of your daily results.
- · The Brain Wizard (www.thebrainwizard.com): Brain training exercises focusing on attention, thinking, recall, concentration and memory. A trial version is available for three days and a full membership can be purchased for $0.25/day.
- · Brain Metrix (www.brainmetrix.com): Brain games focusing on reflection, creativity, memory, spatial intelligence, numbers and concentration. All games on the website can be played for free.
So, go bench press some
cognition, increase your reps, and work up a cognitive sweat!
No comments:
Post a Comment