In recent years brain training games have become a topic of interest among both researchers and common people alike. Researchers are interested in the healing properties of brain training while normal people are looking to brain training as a way to improve their performance and get a leg up on the competition in school, work, and life. Up until recently, it was believed that the brain was unchangeable in terms of memory capacity. Researchers were well aware of the fact that the brain can change and form new connections when brain damage occurs. However, the idea that humans can train their brains to be more efficient and stronger seemed like a far-fetched cry from reality up until the late 1990’s (Weicker, Villringer & Thöne-Otto, 2016). As time went on and more research was conducted in the field of brain training, it became clear that brain training is not an exact science but, it does have real cognitive benefits.
One of the largest arguments against brain training is that the benefits of training are not applied to real life. Essentially, opponents to brain training are arguing that brain training is like teaching to the test. Participants do well on the “exams” because that was what they were trained for. Conversely, once participants are sent out into the real world, they are unable to apply what they learned to tasks that differ from those on the test. While intimal brain training studies failed to demonstrate real world application, more recent studies have proven
Ammar Batterjee English In the article ‘’Can You Build a Better Brain ?’’ The author Sharon Begley, discuss how can we train our brain to be better and more efficient. Begley discusses that neuroscientist has very little information about how can we improve our brains. The neuroscientists don’t know much about cognitive mechanisms, and what makes a human smarter or dumber.
Clare and colleagues, (2001) predicted in theory, that the possibility cognitive rehabilitation may be responsible for the maintenance of memory gains over time. The researchers set to prove through long-term follow-up data that memory retraining had lasting effects and showed gains beyond the treatment sessions as demonstrated by previous cognitive rehabilitation studies.
Brody, J.E. (2007, December 11). Mental reserves keep brain agile. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com
In the book Spark, written by Dr. John J. Ratey, he discusses how exercise can positively affect how your brain works. He provides studies and personal experiences to support the claims he makes. I always knew exercise would improve your life but never could have imagined how much it can affect your brain health as well. The chapter I thought spoke the most to me was chapter two, Learning: Grow Your Brain Cells.
This focus of this summary is on neuroplasticity. This is the idea that the capacity of the brain has the ability to change based on environmental experiences. Due to the extensive amount research being gathered, the field of cognitive remediation was born. There were studies conducted with individuals who suffered from a stroke or large brain injury. Those whose had experienced extreme loss of "motor skills due to the injury could not only improve motor functioning by practicing motor-based exercises, but could also improve brain function in the motor cortex." As these studies emerged, these principles eventually became a big part of guiding practice principles of cognitive remediation for
Consistent with the idea of learning and the brain’s interaction with the environment, neuroplasticity is the idea that the human brain can change and grow, that it can modify itself to compensate for weak spots and expand limits (Cockrell, 2007). For example, it was once thought that neuron production slows down exponentially in adulthood, but research reveals that this is not the case. Research has found that the brains of aging cancer patients were still able to produce new neurons (Cockrell, 2007). The human brain is an extremely complex organ. Inside the average human brain, there are 200 billion neurons. These neurons allow for trillions of connections (Arrowsmith, 2013). Arrowsmith (2013) discussed Mark Rosenshwag, a neuroscientist who conducted an experiment with rats. Rosenswag placed the rats in a stimulating environment and found that rats were better learners because of the stimulation. More importantly, he noted that the brains of the rats being studied changed
Dementia is the loss of cognitive functioning which affects an individual’s daily life. Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia that slowly destroys memory and thinking and the ability to perform simple tasks. There is some research that suggests cognitive training may slow the progression of dementia. Cognitive training challenges a variety of cognitive functions such as attention, memory and speed, which is different to general brain training that people may come across in their daily life (Kanaan et al., 2014). Various limitations
In 2012, Nouchi et al. conducted a study in which older adults had to play either a Nintendo brain training game called Brain Age or Tetris. The participants had to play their assigned game for 4 weeks 15 minutes per day. The aim of the study was to investigate the possible effects of a brain training game on the cognitive functioning of older adults. As expected, the results showed that both groups performed significantly better at playing their game during the last time playing compared to the first time playing. However, did the participants only get better at playing their game or was there more at play?
164). This non-invasive intervention uses electrodes that are placed on the scalp, to measure brain function (including brainwave pattens, auditory and visual feedback), which allows participants to observe their own brain function to enhance theor cognitive ability. For the most effective results participants were required complete a minimum of 1 to 2 sessions a week and for longer lasting improvements, at least 10 sessions a week. During each session, participants listened to sounds while playing a video game, they play the game by using only their brain. When their brain wave activity reaches the required criteria, they gain points (which acts as the reward in this appliction of operant conditioning). This type of brain training has shown to be effective as it has been used to treat mental illness, and improve cognitive ability, especially among older populations (Rabipour & Raz, 2012, p. 165).
Similarly, however, the brain benefits from lifting weights in general. In “Lifting Weights, Twice a Week, May Aid the Brain,” an article discussing the relativity of weight lifting on the brain, Gretchen Reynolds suggests that resistance training is important to delaying the vulnerability of the brain with time. Reynolds reviews statistics that support exercise in slowing the process of lesions in the brain of white matter (which is the material that connects and passes messages between different brain regions). Because time ultimately catches up with us, Reynolds contemplates the effect that lifting weights has on the brain, as it does the muscles of the body, in order to demonstrate that importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The article says that “a minimum threshold of exercise needs to be achieved” as a way to gain the attention of the older
The first piece of equipment to be added to the training facility (and utilized at the “boot camp” will be a 50 foot rock climbing wall. This wall will be used for teaching the fundamentals of sport psychology so that the tools and skills can be transferred to the football field. Each athlete will be required to participate. Most likely, there will be some athletes who will be very uncomfortable in my training techniques. Their mental development will occur much faster through experiential, mental training. For example, one the first day of climbing, each athlete will be connected to a safety harness and told to climb the wall. The route to the 50 foot mark will be a simple route with a crux
The articles by Erikson et al., Gatz, Korol et al., and Draganski et al. explore the concept of increased physical activity and/or mental activity having effects on the cognitive function and development or deterioration of the brain as we age. Although I agree that physical exercise is critical in increasing cognitive function because of the health benefits it provides, as well as the increased blood flow and circulation throughout the body, I ultimately believe that a healthy brain is not achieved solely by physical exercise or mental exercise, but both. I think there is a link between physical and mental exercise, and that the combination of these two activities creates higher cognitive functioning of the mind as well as the body. The mind and body come together and meet to make an overall healthy individual.
Training is important in anything you do and dueling is no exception. It allows you to prepare not just physically, but mentally as well. Mental training us used to help show you what to expect when participating in a duel. It is important to stay calm when dueling, mental training will help you do this. Panicking is an easy way to get yourself injured, or killed.
Gamboa, Camille. "What Types Of Video Games Improve Brain Function?". EurekAlert!. N.p., 2015. Web. 12 Feb.
There is a widely held belief that commercially available computerized brain-training programs improve cognitive function. 2 Although society has accepted this correlation of “brain games” and increased cognitive ability, it has yet to be proven.1 Regardless of this, there has been a recent spawn of enterprises dedicated to creating these games. Of these enterprises, the most well-known companies are Lumosity and Brain Age.1 These companies even argue that brain training is as good as physical training.4 Websites like