This weeks Mental Meltdown focuses on mental fitness. Exercising your mind is just as, if not more important than exercising your body. Want to learn how work out your noodle? Below is information about Lumosity, a computer based, brain fitness program.
http://lumosity.com
What is Lumosity? Lumosity is a scientifically designed computer based brain fitness program consisting of a series of fun and engaging online games and exercises. Researched and developed by some of the leading neuroscientists, Lumosity is based on the concept of neuroplasticity - the brain’s ability to learn and physically adapt given appropriate stimuli.
What are the benefits? The Lumosity brain fitness program is designed to improve cognitive performance and maximize brain health. The games and exercises train and improve four basic cognitive functions: memory, attention, processing speed, cognitive control. The program provides extensive feedback and detailed charts allowing users to track their performance and progress. Lumosity users have reported increased alertness and energy, improved ability to remember names and numbers, better concentration at the workplace, and elevated mood.
Who made it and what is the evidence that it works? Lumosity was researched, tested and developed by Lumos Labs, Inc, in collaboration with some of the leading scientists in neuroscience, cognitive psychology, and bioinformatics from Stanford, UCSF, and other leading research institutions.
In randomized, controlled trials, Lumosity was shown to significantly improve working memory and visual attention. This research was presented at the Society for Neuroscience Conference in 2006 and at the Bay Area Neuroscience Gathering in 2007.
How long does it take? Lumosity is designed to fit into the active lifestyle of today’s working adults. The daily training session, consisting of 4-5 games and exercises can be completed in 10 minutes. The entire brain fitness course consists of 30 sessions with extensive feedback and guidance. Users often report noticing differences after the first 6 sessions.
Who can benefit from the program? Adults of any age who want to improve brain performance, maximize brain health and increase productivity can benefit from Lumosity. Our proprietary adaptive difficulty algorithms make Lumosity appropriate for users of all age groups by tailoring and adjusting the training to the user’s skill level.
Reclaim Your Brain™ with Lumosity Online Brain Fitness Games
Boost Memory, Visual Attention & Processing Speed in Minutes Per Day
San Francisco, CA – Brains need exercise just as much as bodies, and now there’s a new way to meet the challenge with entertaining online exercises that take just 10 minutes a day. It’s Lumosity (www.lumosity.com), a scientifically developed online brain fitness program demonstrated to improve memory and attention with fun and effective brain workouts. The 30-session program developed by Lumos Labs offers a daily mix of games, exercises, progress reports and brain health tips.
Designed for adults of all ages, Lumosity was developed in collaboration with experts in neuroscience and cognitive psychology from Stanford and UCSF, and then tested in a randomized, controlled study that was presented at neuroscience conferences in 2006 and 2007. Significant improvements in cognitive functions such as memory and attention were noticeable within a few weeks of training. In the NIH-funded ACTIVE study, researchers observed that gains made from cognitive training were maintained five years later.
Lumosity Beta users have reported clearer and quicker thinking, improved memory for information such as names and numbers, increased alertness, elevated mood, and better concentration at work or while driving. A survey revealed that over 95% of the users considered the program to be fun.
Each cognitive training task has been structured as a game. A visual attention exercise simultaneously displays a bird and a letter for a fraction of a second, requiring users to identify both at the same time using peripheral vision. One of the working memory activities asks users to navigate a maze by remembering the location of hazards. “Working memory is fundamental to higher cognitive functions, including reasoning and reading comprehension, and improvements here will impact performance on many cognitive tasks”, said Dr. Moriah Thomason Caires, a neuroscience researcher at Stanford.
The difficulty level of each exercise adjusts to the ability of the user. As she progresses, the birds appear faster and there are more hazards in the maze. Each activity includes useful information such as what part of the brain is being exercised, and a progress report provided after every session makes it easy to track improvement.
“Research has shown that making brain fitness part of a healthy lifestyle early will lead to optimal cognitive performance and better long-term brain health,” said Michael Scanlon, chief scientist at Lumos Labs. “We designed Lumosity to help adults of any age build their cognitive abilities without feeling like they’re doing homework. People have to be motivated to train, and we believe that the results we’re seeing stem in part from the fact that the program is enjoyable and you can see your progress.”
Lumosity costs $79.95 for unlimited use of the 30-session program and full access to all games and exercises for one year. Lumosity can also be purchased monthly for $9.95. Both memberships have a 14 day free trial. After completing the initial program, users can continue to track their improvement and keep sharpening their skills by training on specific exercises or repeating the program.
About Lumos Labs
Founded in 2005, Lumos Labs, Inc. creates innovative neuroscience-based tools that empower people to lead better lives through improved brain health and performance. Lumos Labs is a pioneer in developing scientifically designed and experimentally tested online brain fitness programs for the masses. The company works in collaboration with leading scientists in neuroscience, cognitive psychology, and bioinformatics from Stanford, UCSF, and other leading research institutions to bring beneficial and innovative products to market. Lumosity, a brain fitness program researched and developed by Lumos Labs, is scientifically demonstrated to improve cognitive function in adults through a series of engaging and comprehensive web-based exercises. For more information, visit www.lumosity.com.
Learn more at http://www.lumosity.com
Image Source: http://lumosity.com
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