Monday, February 27, 2012

Memory And Brain Training

Our brain can do many wonderful things. It is still one of the most mysterious organ of our body. The manner in which it functions in well known in many aspects but there are still other ways in which the brain operates that we are still not entirely sure. But we’ll explore brain plasticity here and show what a vital role it plays in helping us to learn as well help the brain to adapt.

Brain plasticity refers to a mechanism in which the brain creates new neural pathways as a result of mental processes. A child’s brain is like a sponge and everything that child sees, hears or experiences is new. As this child becomes exposed to more stimuli and if it is done on a repetitive basis, his/her brain forms new neural pathways based on the brains response to that stimuli.

Over time the creation of these new neural pathways helps to lock in the response and a given situation is remembered presumably over a very long period of time. So if a child touches a hot surface, a powerful response is generated. There are new neural pathways created as a result. So the next time the child comes back to that situation which caused him/her to experience pain from touching a particular surface, that child remembers this and avoids it.

Similar brain training techniques are used to help a child to learn many new things such as language, music, visual response, etc. But what happens over time is that the brain receives much less new responses since it has already registered many previous experiences.

As the years progress, the cells may deteriorate and the neural networks can break down. This can create a situation where the brain deteriorates and people become more forgetful or agitated. Eventually it can have permanent long term effects through Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.
But it has been shown that it is possible to stimulate the brain even in older adults to create the formation of new neural networks which can help to perpetuate good mental function. It is not necessarily a fact that mental function has to decline as we age.

Brain plasticity is also an essential way to help people to overcome disabilities caused by injury to the brain. Most of us know that different parts of the brain control or handle different functions. So if a section of the brain is damaged through disease or injury, it can have devastating results such as affecting a person’s ability to walk or talk.

However certain techniques can be applied to use brain plasticity to help teach other parts of the brain which are undamaged to take over functions it previously did not do. So in many cases a person can be trained to regain certain functions and abilities which were previously lost. It is an amazing thing and one of the many wonders of our brains.

Also, for people who suffer from a condition or are under chemotherapy for example can suffer from certain cognitive decline. For example, chemotherapy is know to create what is called chemo brain. The treatment is so strong that it has an impact on your brain.

It is important to take care of your brain health as soon as possible and try to prevent some of the decline that are happening as we age. Keeping a sharp mind and brain training will offer a lot of benefits in daily life.

Brain Research And Its Link To Brain Training

We can’t live without most of the organs in our body. But this is especially true with our brain. It holds the key to our consciousness and makes us what we are. It is also integral to controlling virtually every other part of our bodies. So let’s be sure to protect it and help it to function in the best possible manner by examining some suggestions to enhance brain health and what brain research has taught us.

The brain requires good nutrition as well as an abundant supply of well-oxygenated blood. So it’s very important to maintain an excellent diet of fresh foods such as vegetables, fruits, and lean meats and poultry. Stay away from chemical preservatives and definitely shy away from fatty foods or sugary foods.

A good rule of thumb is that the same kind of good diet, which is recommended for your body, is good for your brain. Also make sure to take many essential nutrients and vitamins. It has been found that a shortage of these essential nutrients can impact the ability of the brain to function properly.

And just like the body responds well to exercise, so does the brain. Therefore it is important to apply well-designed and proven techniques which stimulates the brain and “works” it. These are brain training techniques which are often in the form of brain games or tasks. They are usually entertaining but they challenge the brain to think in certain ways.

Over time this improves the efficiency and effectiveness of many mental functions. For example there are techniques which have excellent results in terms of improving memory. For anyone who wants to do a better job of remembering people’s names, these are outstanding techniques.

In addition since memory plays such a critical role in learning, these techniques are equally important for students or anyone who wants to increase their knowledge.

You can find many of these brain training techniques on websites throughout the Internet which focus on these topics. Take some time and browse through some of them. You will find them to be easy to implement but very effective.

And an essential part of good brain health is protecting not only from injury but as well to try to delay or even avoid a state called mild cognitive impairment. This is when we start to feel our cognitive skills decline and our cognition is slightly impaired. This can then lead to dementia and even worse to Alzheimer’s disease.

The brain is an amazing organ but it can be greatly susceptible to injury from impacts or falls. A common source of injury to the brain comes from auto accidents. So use the latest safety devices in your car such as lap/shoulder belts and airbags to help to keep you safe and protect your brain from impacts or other injuries.

And lastly try to do what you can to minimize the impact the brain of different diseases. If you suspect any problems, see your doctor immediately. While many diseases, which affect the brain, have no direct cures, there are techniques and treatments, which can help to minimize the impact. So stay aware and apply many of these suggestions to help enhance brain health and listen to the recommendation provided by the latest brain research.

Brain Functions, Memory And Your Brain Training

Our brains are certainly an amazing part of our body and they perform an incredible array of functions all day long, whether we are active or at rest. Some of the activities are performed consciously while others are compleLinktely done in an unconscious way. Let’s review some of the important brain functions. Some are higher level functions which require conscious effort while others occur without even realizing it or putting any conscious thought to it.

For example a portion of our brains control automatic functions in our bodies. This includes things like heartbeat, breathing, digestions, etc. The brain also tells different parts of our bodies to change based on different criteria. For example if we exercise and move our bodies faster, the brain tells the heart to beat faster and our lungs to breathe faster as well.

This is because it knows that our bodies will need more energy and it can occur by pumping more oxygen rich blood through our bloodstream. And as indicated earlier, these functions occur with no real conscious thought. The brain knows what to do in these cases.

Other important functions can control appetite or thirst. Our brains will tell us that we are hungry or thirsty when it determines that our bodies need water or food. We normally feel hungry when our bodies need nourishment. On a side note, to keep a healthy brain, your nutrition is very important. It is shown that not only we need to train our brain and be physically fit to keep our abilities vibrant and healthy. We also need to follow a proper nutrition and diet as this has a tremendous effect on the health of our mind.

There are many brain functions related to higher level functions such your attention, perception, motor control or memory. So conscious thought and the ability to make decisions based on limited information is an important brain function. Other functions such as language processing, speech processing and vision processing are critical as well.

The brain also controls things like emotion. So we can feel happy, sad, angry or frustrated because our brains direct these emotions based on different stimuli.

Our brain is also an amazing computer. It can process information at lightning speed. So an important function is arithmetic function. We can add numbers or other complex numerical functions through our brains.

There are important vision processing functions. So we can see a stop sign and know what it means and not be confused with what is shown. Or we can see letters next to each other and the brain interprets them to create a word which means something to us.

Other higher level brain functions can include things like empathy or generosity. We can talk to someone and understand what they are feeling. Or we can respond to a situation with kindness or generosity.

The examples shown here are but a small sampling of different brain functions. It is a massive list and the impact it has on our lives and those around are certainly significant.

Brain Training While Playing Brain Games

It is a fairly common desire to improve your mental function and to feel sharper and more alert in your daily life. Most people simply want to think more effectively than they currently do as they feel that with time it is becoming harder to process and retrieve information easily. A mind quiz is for example a great way to improve a person’s mental functioning quickly and effectively. So let’s explore this further.

A mind quiz or brain training task is a targeted technique which can provide challenge and entertainment for people and at the same time push the brain to work and make some efforts. It is a great way to challenge it and get it to think in novel and unique ways. This is probably one of the only effective way to keep your brain healthy. You need to actively and constantly exercise it.

By doing so it a great way to challenge the brain and ultimately get it to improve its mental processing, functions and other cognitive abilities such as your memory or concentration. A mind quiz can come in many different types and techniques but usually refer always to the same brain training idea.

For example there are many techniques to help a person to remember names and faces. By implementing these techniques, it is now possible to get the mind to operate differently and more effectively.

If you do an Internet search, you can find many places to implement different techniques and a variety of mind quizzes. Many of these techniques have to be implemented with the assistance of a trained medical practitioner while others can be implemented individually by the person who is seeking improvement.

This type of mind quiz or brain games can perform certain functions. We mentioned the memory enhancement which is most commonly sought after. Another common type is the reading comprehension type of quiz. It can help one to better understand what is being read and what it means.
You can also find a mind quiz to help you to better retrieve information and process effectively. So it can be a great way to improve mathematical calculations and your overall cognition. Or it can be used for numerical calculations or for visual processing tasks.
A mind quiz is usually targeted at a specific age group. So the brain games targeted for an elementary school student would certainly be much simpler and straightforward than the quiz given to a college student.
In any case there is certainly a very wide variety of tools and techniques which can be appropriate and very effective for many people. If you are interested in improving mental function, many of the tests can go a long ways towards that goal.

Check out the sites which offer these tools and then see how they can be used in the most effective manner. There are many supportive articles which can help visitors to determine the best types of mind quiz to pursue and implement. They have helped many people and they can certainly help you.

Cognitive Science And Brain Training

Most people would agree that it is very important to do all we can to get and remain healthy for the long run. We often watch our diets, exercise and avoid foods or alcoholic drinks that can have a harmful effect on our mind. We now know that it is vitally important to enhance our brain health since a healthy brain is usually a highly functioning one which can only enhances our own lives. So let’s discuss this further.

Good brain health can be achieved in many of the same ways we keep our bodies healthy. Thanks to brain plasticity, we now know that we can rewire our brain and improve our mental functions. So the first thing to do is to make certain that you keep a strict healthy diet. It is important to watch what you eat and drink. So stick with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.

In addition try to stick with only lean meat and poultry. Avoid highly fatty foods and definitely stay away from sugary foods and those with a lot of additives. Drink plenty of fluids, preferably water every day. This is an important way to flush impurities from your system. This can then have a beneficial way to keep the cells in your body healthier. This includes brain cells.

Not only is a diet important but it’s also vital that you take in essential nutrients. There are a number of very important vitamins and minerals which you need in abundance to help the brain to function at its best.

Vitamins like C, D, A, and E are very important. And don’t forget to take in a healthy dose of B complex vitamins. They have to shown to play a vital role in brain health.

Cognitive science has demonstrated that a key part of any good program to enhance brain health is exercise. Yes the brain does respond very well to effective exercise. The brain can be exercised through the use of targeted programs. There are many kinds of techniques which can challenge the brain to think in certain ways. This has helped to improve certain kinds of mental processes.

For example if someone wants to improve their memory function, there are many such techniques which can be used very effectively. You will find that these techniques are formulated like games and they can be quite entertaining. So you may sometimes think that you are playing a game when you are in fact improving the health of your brain. Another example is people who suffer from multiple sclerosis (MS). MS has usually a significant impact on cognition and can generate cognitive fatigue. By training some of your cognitive abilities, you should be able to somehow smoothen the effect certain conditions or treatments have on the brain.

You can find many effective brain health programs by searching through the Internet on these topics. You’ll find many helpful websites which are dedicated to improving brain health. They may suggest different nutritional programs as well as exercise programs that stimulate and enhance brain function.

Just follow some of these suggestions and you’ll quickly see how you can improve brain health.

Brain Training And Your Working Memory

Most of us recognize the importance of staying fit. It is important to take care of our bodies to help keep us looking and feeling great and get a chance to remain healthy for the long term. Well, the same idea or concept holds true for brain training. So let’s discuss some of the ways in which we can improve how we take care of our brain and maintain a good working memory. You should quickly see the benefits and the results you get for constantly training.

The brain responds very well to an effective mind fitness program. So while you can’t have your brain do push ups, there are many things you can do which will help to give your brain a workout and improve its effectiveness in the long run. The idea behind brain training is based on brain plasticity. By challenging your brain and doing different type of activities, you can effectively train all of your cognitive abilities including one of the most important, your working memory.

Obviously for this, our brains need the right kind of fitness program. This begins with the right kinds of nutrition. The brain needs to be properly fed the same way all other parts of our bodies are. So stick with a very nutritional diet consisting of lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. Stay away from fatty foods or sugary foods. And by all means, avoid foods with additives and preservatives.

Make certain to drink lots of fluids, especially water. It helps to flush the body of impurities. And by all means limit the amount of alcoholic drinks and other types of chemicals.

It is important to ingest the right kinds of vitamins and minerals. Vitamins like D, A, C and E are very important to help brain function. And a number of minerals play an important role in the effective functioning of brain cells.

Exercising your brain is also a very integral part of a good brain fitness program. You can exercise your brain by subjecting it to a number of tools and techniques. They are set up like games or tasks but they encourage your brain to think in a certain way.

For example crossword puzzles can be a very good mind game. They challenge your brains to think about certain words which fit a prescribed parameter. There are other types of games to help improve memory and enhance reading comprehension.

But what you will find is the more you exercise your brain, the better it is able to respond to a wide variety of inputs and process information. It can operate more effectively and you’ll feel that you are sharper and more attuned to the world around you.

The great thing about brain fitness is that it can help to overcome a significant portion of the normal degradation in brain function as we age. So there is often no reason to fear losing important brain functions as long as you implement a steady and effective brain fitness program. Try it and you should quickly see it for yourself.

Friday, February 24, 2012

New Scientific Software To Improve Concentration

CogniFit, a leading developer of online brain training and cognitive programs announces the release of its new application, "Concentration", designed to assess and train higher-order attentional processes such as focused attention and vigilance.

The capacity to concentrate and focus is one of the most important abilities we possess. In a society overloaded with information, a growing number of individuals are complaining of their lack of ability to concentrate. Statistics show that more than 5 million children have also been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD in the U.S. alone. Thus, assessing and training concentration and focus is a key element for a healthy and more productive lifestyle.

CogniFit Brain Fitness

Quote startThe CogniFit concentration app brings unique and tangible benefits by helping individuals to remain more alert, focused and efficient in their daily life.Quote end

Dr. Evelyn Shatil, Chief Scientist at CogniFit, explains: “Higher-order attentional processes such as the ability to willingly orient and focus our attention on a task, the ability to readily maintain a high degree of vigilance or the ability to willingly ignore potentially distracting elements in our surroundings are processes crucial to the initiation, perseverance and successful completion of a task. Yet, a very large number of adults, children and youth experience difficulties in the control and application of those concentration processes.”

Research has shown that training those abilities brings valuable attentional benefits to the trainees, which may, in turn, be instrumental in improving behavior and performance at home, at school and at work. People with a concentration problem have a tendency to procrastinate at work and/or to leave tasks undone or unfinished at school. They may experience stress, anxiety and depression as a result of their inability to perform satisfactorily.

The CogniFit concentration application specifically trains the selective orientation of attention, focused attention, vigilance, updating of incoming in formation, visual attention and the operation speed of those processes. The application comes with three new training tasks and is priced at only $4.99.

CogniFit is today the only platform that leverage brain plasticity to combine a versatile and personalized brain training program for cognitive abilities with an application specifically designed for the training of concentration and memory.

Tommy Sagroun, Manager at CogniFit, explains: “The CogniFit concentration app brings unique and tangible benefits by helping individuals to remain more alert, focused and efficient in their daily life.”

About CogniFit

CogniFit (http://www.cognifit.com) is a leading developer of online cognitive programs that enable people to discover and improve themselves.

Founded in 1999, CogniFit has developed a unique and patented technology that allows consumers to assess and train their cognitive skills and abilities to improve their quality of life. CogniFit is headquartered in New York City with branches in Spain and Israel.

For additional information or interviews inquiries, contact the PR department at media@cognifit.com

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Mental Training And The Improvement Of Your Capacities

The brain is one of the most important organs in our body and one of the most mysterious one. The unique thing about our brain is the way it can make us feel and process the information around us. We normally refer to mental health therefore as a positive situation in which we feel positive with how we perceive and respond to the world around us. Let’s explore this topic further.

Mental training techniques exist to help to teach the brain and the mind to operate more effectively. The idea behind these techniques is maintain and improve your cognitive abilities. The end objective is to make it possible to help our brains to do a variety of tasks much better. For example you can try a number of techniques to help improve your memory function or your eye-hand coordination.

These techniques can be very important to students who want to learn more effectively and who need to process an important amount of new information everyday. The better someone can process and then remember, the easier it is for that person to learn new things because he/she can store more of what it being taught.

These training techniques can also be very important ways to help older people to retain much of their mental capacities. Many people believe that mental function decreases as we age. But a number of techniques can often be employed to help older people to think as efficiently as they did years earlier.


There are a number of older people who feel that there is no alternative to a steadily diminishing mental function as they age. However, recent studies suggest that this is not necessarily so. Therefore it is an important thing to utilize effective techniques to help older people to retain much of their mental capacity.

Mental training and brain fitness can also be used to help people to improve many mental functions such as mathematical techniques or language understanding. These techniques can be a huge difference in how a person’s brain operates and responds to the world.

The Internet has been a wonderful way to find many effective mental training techniques. If you do an Internet on the topic, you will encounter a great many websites dedicated to neuroscience and the brain. You will find that you can implement a number of effective techniques. But while many of them can be implemented by the patient alone, a number of them can only be implemented only with the assistance of someone else.

You will also find that the techniques are usually grouped into the kind of improvements that can be expected as well the kinds of people who should be pursing them. It is therefore important to make certain that the techniques you pursue are appropriate for you age and goals.

In any case if you apply some of the mental training techniques which are widely available, you can begin to realize some of the many benefits which can expected. Just make sure you train your mind with a scientifically validated program that will ensure that your training is really effective and not a waste of your time.

Improving How You Think With Memory Games

For those people who are interested in improving their memory skills and other important cognitive abilities, there are a number of important memory games that can be used to help. Today, we know that our brain like our body can be exercised. You have to think about your mind like a muscle that needs constant training. So let’s discover a little bit more about the brain and how several memory tasks and brain training exercises can in fact.

The ability of our brains to remember effectively is normally perceived as an innate skill. However it has now been found that there are a number of important exercises one can do to improve their mental health and memory. Memory games for example can be used to help people to improve specifically their short term and long term memory skills.

If you do an Internet search on memory games, you will find many several which are dedicated to this topic. Still, you need to be cautious and make sure you are using a product which effectiveness has been demonstrated. You will find that some scientifically designed tasks can assess and train you on a variety of cognitive abilities .So if you want to do a better job of remembering people’s name who you meet for the first time or focusing on the task at hand, there are many effective techniques you can try to assist here. These games are designed to be effective but fun. They can really hold a person’s attention and have the ability to be both fun and very effective.

Usually you want your training to be adapted personally to your needs. That is why it is so important to start with an assessment of your abilities before you even consider starting a training. Most of these cognitive training tasks can be implemented by the person who is seeking benefit while an assistant must be there for some individuals. In such a case, the patient is to weak and cannot leverage the entire tool by herself.
In any case if you search through the listings of different memory games, you will find many techniques aimed at different kinds of people. For example there may be exercises which are ideal for high school students. They would not be appropriate for preschoolers. You need to know what you are looking for, what is that you need and then you can start really feeling a benefit out of it.

So it is important to make certain that the exercise is ideally suited for the person who is interested in taking advantage of the game. Monitor the amount of time and effort you are placing on using these techniques and then measure progress.

You can also find very effective techniques if you consult with a mental health or medical profession. They may be able to provide you with specialized games or send you to another site which can do so.

Over a fairly short period of time, you will find that significant improvements in your cognitive abilities and memory can be achieved through the use of these games. So if you are seeking improvements in memory, there are many different techniques which can be effectively employed. Try some of them and see for yourself.

Mental Health And Feeling Good About Yourself

The brain is one of the most important organs in our body and is still an important mystery. Scientists around the world are continuously discovering mesmerizing capabilities of this organ. The unique thing about our brain is the way it can make us feel and how it controls those emotions. We can refer to mental health therefore as a positive situation in which we feel positive with how we perceive and respond to the world around us. Let’s explore this topic further.

Good mental health can be viewed as a very positive thing meaning that it is something that we all wish to experience. Most of us want to be able to feel happy and respond well to those things around us. For example good mental health can help us to feel good about who we are and how we perceive ourselves. It can also help us to better project ourselves in the future with a positive outlook.

Poor mental health is typified by an inability to deal with our surroundings and how they make us feel. Therefore a positive mental health situation is always desired by most of us. We often try to get to the point where we can feel good about our situation and how others perceive it. Poor mental health can have a very disturbing impact on our life. In some cases, it is important for an individual suffering from any mental health related issues such as strong anxiety or overwhelming stress to go visit a specialist. Keeping a good mental health is key to live a healthy lifestyle and be well.

There are a number of things which can help people to achieve good mental health. The first thing is to keep the brain healthy. It is therefore important to make certain that your brain receives proper nutrients and that the chemicals in the brain are properly balanced. If your diet is healthy, then the brain is normally kept to a healthy level as well.

But if someone is not feeling in control or is not well adjusted with how he/she responds to the outside environment, certain specialized techniques are often sought which can help people to improve their mental health through brain plasticity.

Many such counseling techniques involves discussing certain aspects with the patient in the hope of helping them to deal with how they feel and respond to their environment. Many of these techniques have been shown to be very effective.

There are trained practitioners who can work with patients on a one on one basis and help them to achieve a strong level of positive mental health. There may be certain prescription drugs which can be of benefit as well.

But one of the problems in identifying mental health problems is the fact that many people may feel that they need help but are too embarrassed to admit that they have a problem. It is important to educate people as to the importance of seeking assistance in ways to respond to and deal with how the world around us makes us feel. It is a very important step in helping to improve mental health for everyone involved.

Brain Training To Learn to Think Better

As much as our bodies can be trained to operate more effectively and kept physically healthy for longer periods of time, so can our brains and minds. Thanks to brain plasticity, we now know that by challenging our brain, we can train our cognitive abilities and skills to try to maintain them strong. So let’s discuss how brain training techniques can be used to enhance the way in which we think and learn.

There are few scientifically validated and effective brain training techniques available. These may be in the form of exercises or games which can help the brain to improve certain kinds of functions.

For example there are very effective techniques to help a person to improve his/her memory functions. A person can be trained to learn how to receive input, organize it, store it and then retrieve at a later time with a great deal of accuracy.
So it is certainly possible to use these kinds of techniques to help someone to remember names, places, and important facts. These kinds of training techniques are for example very important for students who want to improve their grades. This is because memory is an essential part of learning.

So students would be well advised to seek a number of effective training techniques which can enhance memory function. Another aspect to brain training can be techniques to help a person to improve their language functions. Many exercises are available for these purposes.

There are many other types of exercises and techniques which people can apply for brain fitness purposes and cognitive skills training. If one is interested in pursuing them, there are many ways to find good brain training techniques.

The Internet is a wonderful place to find a large variety of techniques for many different purposes and for many kinds of people. If you search for brain training exercises, you can find several websites which discuss and provide many effective techniques you can use and then apply in your daily life.

These techniques may be suitable for different kinds of applications or they may be targeted at certain people (for example children). In any case make sure to use a program which effectiveness has been demonstrated through the publication of peer-reviewed studies.

Some of these techniques must be implemented with the assistance of someone else. However a great many techniques can be implemented yourself in the comfort of your own home. These exercises are designed to be very effective but they can also be a great deal of fun.

So it can be a nice way to pass the time while you challenge your brain to function more fully and effectively. Once you start applying some of these techniques, you’ll be gratified to see how effective they can be. So you will use them more and more.

It is definitely something worth pursuing since a more effective brain is a better thinking brain. This can only enhance your life and those people who are close to you. Try some of them and you’ll see for yourself.

Brain And The Miracle Of Nature

The human brain is a true miracle of nature. It is the most complex organ in our bodies and controls virtually every part. Still, we don’t yet fully understand Linkhow our mind works. Researchers around the world are working diligently in understand and piercing some of its mysteries. Let’s discuss some more interesting details about the brain and how it impacts every aspect of our lives.

The brain controls the way in which we respond to external stimuli. Every thing we see, hear, touch and feel is controlled and interpreted by the brain. Brain research shows that if we touch something and it feels hot, the nerves in our fingers send a signal to our brains and it interprets the input as hot.

The brain then sends a signal to our hand to pull away from the hot object so we don’t hurt ourselves any worse than we might otherwise have to. The whole process occurs almost instantaneously with virtually no conscious effort on our parts.

But the thing we sets us apart from virtually all other animals is our ability to take in input and formulate decisions or actions based on limited input and information. Our ability to discriminate and make conscious decisions is an amazing task. Still, it is very important to note than a lot of our processes and daily routines are accomplished unconsciously. The unconscious mind plays a very important role in our life and determines many of our daily actions. It is interesting to understand how to bridge the gap between the conscious and the unconscious mind to try to control these actions.

Our brains also allow us to perform many higher level functions like language, visual response and interpretation, memory and many others. This is called cognitive functions and it is a truly amazing part of what the brain is able to do. It is what helps to make us who and what we are.

But even on a rudimentary level, the brain’s ability to control virtually every part of our bodies is an amazing thing. For example many functions are controlled without conscious thought. The brain tells our hearts to beat and how fast depending on the amount of exertion we are placing on our bodies. This is because it knows that if we are working harder, the heart has to pump faster in order to provide more oxygenated blood to our cells.

We would also automatically breathe faster so put more oxygen in the blood as well. Again as indicated earlier, these kinds of functions occur with virtually no conscious thought on our parts.

The technical magazines make a very big deal about modern computer’s ability to perform parallel processing. Well our brains do this all this the time. It is truly multitasking on steroids.

This is much we have learned about the manner in which our brains operate. But there is certainly much more to learn. We may never totally understand exactly how our brains operate but if we take care of it through good nutrition and effective stimulation, it should be able to enhance the quality of our lives for many years.

Simplicity Is The Key To Brain Training

Sometimes simplicity can also help when it comes to developing and enhancing your mind power. Rather than over-thinking, practicing care and caution in everyday life can lead the way to remarkable brain power.

As you read fresh material and take in new information in your brain you are effectively making it exercise. Two important parts of any brain training regimen that often gets overlooked is review and reflection. These are two processes that are ever so crucial toward actually acknowledging, remembering and learning what you go over. Reviewing an information needs to occur after a question is posed, a passage is read, an activity is conducted and so on to ensure you actually understand what is happening. It is a little bit like picturing your mind taking a snapshot of the actual situation and registering, without analyzing it at first, this new flow of information.

Reflection then consists of responding to the material and thinking about how you can get the most out of the question at hand. This aspect of brain training is called metacognition. The combination of reflection and review can lead to great things for your mind as you will process the new leanings more efficiently.

Who would have ever thought that sleeping through something could count as a good brain training on a test? The truth of the matter is sleep is a terrific way to consolidate learning. This is precisely why doctors recommend getting a full eight hours of sleep and teachers suggest getting a good night sleep before the big test. It will also energize you the following day while ridding yourself of any stress or built-up anxiety and improve your perception.

Something that is crucial to enhancing your brain is engaging with your emotions. More than likely there are a few things that can get under your skin from time to time. As a result, this typically worsens your performance and will lead to a lack of brain power. It is important to develop the capacity to try to find these emotions in your mind and connect with them. Only by letting yourself connect with your core and feelings will you be able to actually work on these emotions and ensure than most of them are focused towards positive thoughts.

The parts of the brain that engage in emotions include the amygdala, the hippocampus and the hypothalamus. It is the amygdale that deals with emotions while helping process our memories and managing our response to fear and stress. As a result, the more we allow our emotions to get the best of us the worse off our memory will be.

The final two facets to efficient brain training is actually physical activity. Movement is crucial to energize the body and brain cells. It can wakes up a sluggish body and gets the brain going. In addition to this, exercise has been shown to be extremely helpful in keeping the brain healthy and ready to encompass new information. The more movement and activity you partake in, the brighter your overall outlook in life will be.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

First Brain Training Program with Free Intelligent Reminder System

CogniFit, a leading developer of online brain fitness and cognitive programs announces the release of a new free intelligent reminder system integrated in its scientifically validated brain training platform.

Memory loss is today one of the top health concern of baby boomers, seniors and the aging population. People around the world are looking for tools to help them improve their memory and cognition. Carlos Rodriguez, Chief Operating Officer at CogniFit, explains: “The intelligent reminder system is a remarkable leap forward to helping people of all ages remember better. By combining a scientific approach to brain training with an intelligent reminder system, people have now all the tools at their disposal to remember better”.

People with memory problems have a tendency to forget to complete tasks that are critically important to maintain proper health. This includes tasks such as taking medications, following a treatment or following a specific diet.

The health and economical costs of memory decline and forgetfulness are significant for individuals, families and society at large. The intelligent reminder system tackles this problem by offering individuals and professionals a full-fledged solution to track daily activities and tasks.

CogniFit is today the only platform that combines a memory assessment and a personalized brain training of cognitive abilities with an intelligent reminder system. Juan Liniers, Web manager at CogniFit, explains: “The online reminder system tool is a unique and powerful way to let individuals, friends and family members follow-up on each others’ daily tasks. The system also offers to users the possibility to assess their memory and compare where they stand within their age group. It is key for all of us to know where our memory stands.”

About CogniFit

CogniFit (http://www.cognifit.com) is a leading developer of online cognitive program that enable people to discover and improve themselves. Founded in 1999, CogniFit has developed a unique and patented technology that helps consumers assess and train their cognitive skills and abilities to improve their quality of life. CogniFit is headquartered in New York City with branches in Spain and Israel.

For additional information or interviews inquiries, contact Nathanael Eisenberg media@cognifit.com or at +1 646 340 1740.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Brain Plasticity Can Be Changed By Learning

Brain plasticity is a common word used in science to refer to the brain’s ability to change at any age. It is a physical process where your gray matter can actually shrink or thicken and new connections can be made inside your brain or even made more efficient. Each time you learn something new your brain makes a new “connection.”

Over time the more of these connections you make the more efficient your brain is and it becomes much better at processing information. When we are young we are constantly learning new things and as a result this is though of as the biggest period of brain plasticity in our life. When we get older and more set in our ways we spend less time learning new things which results in a decline in our brain plasticity.

Neurogenesis is the concept that the brain can recreate new neurons. Even though we lose a lot of neurons everyday, by leveraging brain plasticity and challenging and exercising our mind regularly, we can create new neuronal pathways in our brain. This is an important biologic and chemical process as this helps us learning new information and processing new experiences.

Having this information is very powerful because it means you have the ability to improve your thinking and memory. Keeping your brain sharp will mean improved cognitive memory and making better decisions. When you are able to solve problems better that means your life won’t be filled with so much stress and you can manage the day to day better. Having a healthy mind and a good brain health is proven to be an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. You want to take care of your brain in the same way you are taking care of your body.

Sounds good right? So how do you make it happen? The best way to keep your brain plasticity in top operating condition is to stimulate the brain. That doesn’t’ mean you need a head massage but instead you need to always be learning. You can stimulate the brain many different ways including reading a book, learning something new or even physical activity.

You can also do a brain training game on your computer. There are several different types of “brain game” software’s that have short exercises that are designed to improve your cognitive skills and brain plasticity. These only require a few minutes of your day and give your brain the workout it needs daily.

Learning is the best way to improve you brain function. It doesn’t have to be learning out of a school book either it can be something that you are very interested in. If you like fast cars learn about how the engine works. If you love to bake teach yourself many different techniques both easy and complex. You can find memory programs and other ways to exercise your brain in many different facets of life.

So start improving your brain plasticity and function today by thinking about ways you can push yourself to learn new things. Having a healthy brain goes a long way in having a much less stressful life and being more productive in your day-to-day activities.

Improving Your Cognition Processes

Cognition is the name that science refers to mental processes including attention, remembering, producing and understanding language. Cognition is usually associated with our brains because all the elements of cognition happen there.

These cognitive skills are also used in problem solving and making decisions. The term refers to the brains ability to process information and apply what it already knows when doing so to do the action required and as importantly to retrieve that data when it needs it in an efficient manner.

There are many different fields of study that look at cognition, its processes and brain function. As a result in the last 100 years we have learned a whole lot about how the brain works and what can be done to treat the disorders that affect it and how to keep it healthy. Still, there are many things we don’t know yet about the brain and many researchers around the world are discovering everyday new amazing functions that we didn’t know existed

It used to be thought the brain and nervous system did very little changing over a lifetime. The concept was that barring an injury or a disorder you were born with the same brain you died with. Studies over time have show that is just not true. We have the ability to help our brain be better and improve our cognition through stimulation.

Cognition is also not something that is the same in everyone. People have what are called “cognitive styles” which basically refers to the way someone thinks. The way you think is primarily made up by what you have been exposed to in life. Two people way view a single thing very differently.

For example, if you grew up on a farm the idea of milking a cow may seem second nature if you grew up in the city the idea may repulse you. As a result our different experiences make up how we think about things. Understanding that information means that we have the ability to decide what we expose ourselves to and to grow our brain and its systems in the process. We then create memories. These souvenirs are based on our experiences and let the brain retrieve the necessary information when needed. Usually, the brain would go to create associations between memories and experiences that then sit in your unconscious.

So how do we stimulate the brain to improve our cognition processes? To be better thinkers we have to THINK! Using our brain is the best way to stimulate it. You could read a book, do a puzzle, play a brain game or even get some good old-fashioned physical activity in. All of these things help your brain works more efficiently and allow you to become a better thinker.

Improved cognition can greatly improve your quality of life. When you are a better thinker it helps you to make good decisions, manage stress better and become a better problem solver. All of these things have huge benefits on both your personal and professional life.