CogniFit: For consumers, scientists, and clinicians ... CogniFit is perhaps the most advanced brain training app we reviewed, consisting of a variety ...FiveofthebestappstotrainyourbrainWrittenbyHonorWhitemanonMarch31,2017Itisnosecretthatasweage,ourbrainfunctiondeclines.However,studieshavesuggestedthatkeepingmentallyactive–particularlywhenolder–canhelptomaintaincognitivefunctioning.Braintrainingappsareconsideredausefulaidformentalstimulation,butwhichoneisrightforyou?Wepresentourpickoffiveofthebestbraintrainingappsaround.ShareonPinterestResearchhassuggestedthatbraintrainingmaybebeneficialforcognitivefunctioning.Braintrainingisbasedonthepremisethatmentalstimulationcanimproveneuroplasticity.Thisisthebrain’sabilitytoformandreorganizeconnectionsbetweenbraincellsinresponsetonewtasks.Whilesomestudieshavefailedtofindalinkbetweenbraintrainingandimprovedcognitivefunctioning,otherresearchhasfoundtheopposite.AstudypublishedinPLOSOnein2013,forexample,foundthatyoungadultswhoengagedinbraintraininggamesdemonstratedimprovementsinbrainprocessingspeed,workingmemory,andexecutivefunctions.Itisnotonlyyoungadultswhomightbenefitfrombraintraining.Researchpresentedatthe2016Alzheimer’sAssociationInternationalConferencefoundthatolderadultswhotookpartinten1-hourbraintrainingsessionsovera5-weekperiodwere48percentlesslikelytodevelopcognitivedeclineordementiaover10years.Suchstudieshavefueledthedevelopmentofhundredsofbraintrainingapps,manyofwhichclaimtoimprovecognitivefunctionssuchaslearning,memory,andconcentration.Withsomanytochoosefrom,however,howdoyouknowwhichoneisbestforyou?MedicalNewsTodayhavetriedandtestedfiveofthebestbraintrainingappsavailabletohelpyoumakeaninformeddecision.Lumosity:ColorfulandfunConsideredbymanyasthe“original”braintrainingapp,Lumosityisusedbymorethan85millionpeopleacrosstheglobe.Theappconsistsofmorethan50colorfulandfunminigamesdesignedtotrainfivecognitivefunctions:speed,memory,attention,flexibility,andproblem-solving.Lumosity’sgameshavebeencreatedwiththehelpofmorethan100res