Brain Training – The Science And Its Application

My five-year old son picks up new words and puts them to use as if they were so many pieces of Lego. By six years old a typical child has have a vocabulary of more than ten thousand words. A child’s ability to absorb and master new information is a constant marvel. By contrast, adults find new learning a hard slog. The reason for this difference gives a clue to the lifelong ability to maintain and improve brain function.

A child’s brain produces large amounts of a protein known as BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor). BDNF causes the brain’s center of attention and memory formation to remain “on” — a child’s brain is always ready to take in new information and form new brain structures.

In our late teens our bodies begin to produce a lot more BDNF, a trigger that shuts down the brain’s attention center. While it may seem odd that our bodies put an end to effortless learning, from an evolutionary perspective it makes good sense; as adults we need to discriminate between choices, stay focused, and avoid unproductive distractions.

As scientists have shown, however, the adult brain isn’t cut off from further growth and change. We can reactivate the the brain’s plasticity by carrying out mental tasks that require focus and attention while inducing a sense of achievement or satisfaction. These conditions result in the growth of new nerve cells and plastic change.

Known in the scientific community as neurogenesis and neuroplasticity the ability to rewire the brain provides the foundation for effective brain training. Effective brain training programs use mental exercises that demand focus and reward while training memory, processing speed, and problem-solving ability.

The Three Building Blocks of Effective Brain Training

1. Attention

To activate the nucleus basalis we must exert considerable focus and attention. This stimulates the nucleus basalis to produce acetylcholine, which in turn instructs the brain to fix the memories being formed.

2. Reward

When we feel challenged and rewarded the brain secretes dopamine (the ‘happy’ chemical).

3. Targeted Training

Through the release of acetylcholine and dopamine, focus and mental challenge bring about the production of new neural nerve cells and changes in the brain’s neural infrastructure. Cell growth and plastic change provide the capability for strengthening and improving core brain functions such as problem-solving ability, memory, and processing speed.

Brain Training In Practice

While a host of activities (card games, puzzles, learning a new skill) can catalyze neural growth and help us stay in good mental shape, these incidental benefits tend to be less pointed and dramatic than we can achieve with a scientifically designed and tested brain training program.

The right brain training software can strengthen core brain functions in a highly efficient, measurable and predictable way. This brings a slew of possibilities: Brain training is being used today for correcting learning dysfunctions, reversing the adverse effects of aging, helping to delay or prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s symptoms or dementia, improving academic success, and for plain old self-improvement. Some training programs can even produce measurable increases in fluid intelligence or problem-solving ability – until recently believed to be impossible.

Unfortunately, it can be difficult for a consumer to know which brain training products are the right products. Some products billed as ‘brain training’ programs engage the user in teasers and games that don’t have a true scientific foundation. Others may work but cost hundreds of dollars or require a big time commitment. (Some brain training programs are both highly effective and very afforable.)

Before purchasing a brain training program, check the scientific pedigree of the training exercises it incorporates. Does the vendor spell out specifically what the training will accomplish, providing measurable gains in memory or processing ability? And does the product come with a training schedule, telling you how much time you should devote to the exercises and over what period you should train?

Lastly, it’s important to remain aware that even the best brain training program requires our focus and diligence – those essential elements of brain plasticity. As with physical exercise, we can’t improve if we don’t exert ourselves. But the rewards if we do so will be well worth it.

Oxford-trained scientist, author, and technologist, Martin G. Walker is a member of The British Neuroscience Association, Learning and The Brain, and MENSA. His company Mind Sparke publishes free information on the field of neuroscience and brain training as well as effective and affordable brain training software.