11 Jan, 2008
Brain training is big business. Since Dr Kawashima popularised the concept amongst the masses with Brain Age/Brain Training for Nintendo DS, we've been overwhelmed with games dedicated to head-sponge workouts. But do brain training games actually work? Of course, we're not smart enough to answer that question, so we were pleased to find that it's a topic covered in the January issue of New Scientist magazine.
The feature contains plenty of neuroscientist debate on the matter and covers brain training programs that would make Kawashima's offerings look like Sesame Street. Thankfully, the article's author, Graham Lawton, provides a succinct - nicely quotable - summary.
"All things considered, it's hard not to conclude that brain training has been proven to work - under certain circumstances," Lawton writes. "It's also worth pointing out that no study has shown that brain training makes cognitive abilities any worse." So, there's no risk and there's every chance it's good for your noggin. What is there to lose?


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