Got a question about memory or brain fitness? Cynthia Green, Ph.D., the nationally recognized expert on developing better memory and brain health, is here to help with the new Ask the Expert column.
Dr. Green began the Memory Enhancement Program at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, where she has been a faculty member since 1990. Her first book, Total Memory Workout: 8 Easy Steps to Maximum Memory Fitness
Submit your cognitive queries as an email to us or as a comment below. Check back at the Brain Health blog for Dr. Green’s expert responses to the most interesting and frequently asked questions.
[Update: Dr. Green has addressed some of your questions in Brain Health 101.]
32 Comments
I seem to be having trouble remembering things that used to be easy for me. I’m only 38 years old. Is this normal? How do I know if something is wrong?
Hi I am murgan from India.
I have OCD and ADD for 5 years.
I have difficulties in working memory. I find difficult to hold numbers in math calculation,comprehend data/information while reading news-papers/books…Also I feel as if I have to starin more to remember numbers or information while studying.
Is there a way out to perform well despite my problems….I think my ocd/ADD contribute a lot to my working-memory problems…..
Kindly answer
thankyou
I am 66 and have always thought I had a great memory. I Developed High blood pressure and Diabetes and take avapro , and advandia . can these drugs be causeing me to be scattered ?
I have been doing the brain train program for about a month and somedays I do really great and somedays really terrible
Hi there, I really seem to be improving with Lumosity at present, but the monster garden game still ‘gets me’ although I have improved on it since I first began the course.
Is the monster game the only game on Lumosity that really improves the memory or do some of the other games also contribute to memor improvement.
I just find it hard to remember things sometimes, and I really want to improve my memory quickly and fast.
Any recommendations and advice appreciated.
Thanks
hi,
ive been doing ur luminosity programme for a while now, i still feel like an idiot though, what do u think could be going wrong?
My 5 year 9 month old loves monster garden. Do you have any games for his age group? Also, I have ADD as do my 3 older children. I love the lumosity games…are there any specifically designed to exercise the affected ADD brain?
Note that Dr Green is an expert on brain health and memory, but please direct your Lumosity-specific questions to me.
James, I recommend 2 of our other memory games: Moneycomb and Memory Match
Roy, there are many factors - such as stress, medication and sleep - that affect your cognition. Also, the effects of cognitive training can be subtle, and sometimes you don’t notice the gains right away.
Cathie, we don’t have any games beyond those on the site. Though we haven’t yet completed research in people with ADD, Monster Garden and Moneycomb are likely to be helpful. These exercises require sustained attention and they improve working memory, which is an important area to target in the treatment of ADD.
Thanks to all for your interesting questions and comments. There are several themes that already crop up, especially as regards to health issues that can impact memory and brain health. Look for a blog — or two or three! — addressing your questions over the next few days. In the meantime, I welcome other questions and comments on brain health!
Hi,
My name is William. Do you have a specific brain diet that could help improve the functionality of the brain (i.e. a weekly schedule suggesting brain healthy foods)?
Also, when are you planning to add more games to the site?
I’m currently using your free trial to get a feel of what Lumosity has to offer; however, I’d prefer to pay for a site that frequently updates. How periodic do you add newer additions to your already present list of brain training programs?
Hi I was a victim of a sever traumatic brain injury. I play Lumonosity all the time to help with my cognitivety. Do you Know of any other excercises that work.
thank you
Derek Frakes
Hi
I’ve played these games a couple of times and now I feel like a genius. I find this fact slightly alarming, is that normal?
We will be adding about 1 new game per month, depending on results of testing, etc. There are also other updates to the program. For example, after finishing the first course, you can begin a new course in memory or processing speed.
Walter, while your feeling is not unusual, Lumosity - or any kind of cognitive training - generally takes longer to have a real and lasting effect. However, many people experience increased confidence and a better mood from playing just a couple times.
hi
i am playing these games for the last few weeks and i found a great improvement in my memory and thining ability but on few occasions i feel that i have addicted to these games hoping for your reply
I find it easy to remember lots of things like place, dates, faces, names and facts, yet I forget the most basic things like brushing my teeth or to eat. Also I have a problem remembering events in my life, somethings that have happen or that I have done I do not remember.
Is there anything that you know of or that I can do to improve or change this?
Hi– I’ve just begun the training, and am wondering: am I at a disadvantage when doing the timed games because I am a two-finger “hunt & peck” typist? –Nina
I have been doing Luminosity for two months. My progress has been steady. My mind is functioning better. I have some learning disability, but I feel I have better focus and attention. What other programs do you offer to help me continue on my progression?
Hi, I am having trouble with my concentration, and although I am at a high level in lumosity, I seem to get sidetracked easily. This has been a lifetime thing, so it is only worsening , I have been doing lumosity, taking memory supplements. Just a couple of weeks ago I started taking vitamin B’s, I seem to have forgotten to take them. My concentration has improved and I seem to be able to stay on topic, but still forget. Do you have any suggestions about how to improve your concentration? I am a writer and my mind is constantly being worked out.
Thanks
Lenn
What do you think about the notopics ie Pramiracetam,picamillion,galamitine,etc?
What can you take to help with your memory, they say that I have ADD, at times it is very hard to stay focused, and my memory it bad. I am taking classes on line unless I do something a thousand times I did not get I learn by doing any help will be great. Thanks Annette
I have no problems with aural memory, I can remember what I hear and also what I read. My problem is dysgraphia, I had a very difficult time learning to write and can’t draw anything more sophisticated than stick figures. I am very good at memory match but terrible at monster garden and money comb. Is this related to my learning disability?
I have been playing the games and have done well, but only when the volume is off. Is volume supposed to be on while doing the tests?
I have been diagnosed as having asperger’s syndrome. I am told that my right and left hemispheres are not “sharing the load” equally, and that some brain exercises have been developed to help bring about some balance. Are you aware of what specific exercises these are? Thank you.
I had a photographic memory through high school which is why I did so well in school. Textbook pages would reappear verbatim during tests, etc. Then in college, it started to fade away. Why did that happen and why did it happen then? Where can I read more to understand this gift that disappeared?
Thanks
Is there a demonstrated connection between the results of practicing games such as these and generalized improvement in brain function? Let me state that question a bit more clearly. It’s not too difficult for me to improve my scores on particular games, such as the Matching Speed game. But how much of the improvement is simply a result of becoming familiar with that particular game? Am I improving my use of the keyboard, of applying the games’ rules, of connecting what I think with what I type, or simply learning what to watch for?
After all, the games are repetitive. While some of our daily tasks are repetitive, many of the things we do on the job, at home, etc., are ‘one-shot deals’. We have one chance to do something correctly, and no opportunity to practice and improve.
Since the site claims to help improve memory, attention, etc., have the claims been demonstrated outside of the game-playing environment? Thanks.
Hi
Love your work!
My question is this: is the inability to remember a set of things (eg data or a set of events) spoken in rapid succession to me able to be improved by doing your exercises?
I am sure I was better at this kind of rapid absorption of things when younger. Is this possible?
Regards
If I score above 1000 on all exercises can I still be considered as attention deficit? If I get 1200 on some exercises would that be a good assumption i dont have any impairment? I cannot judge my abilities well as i have been out of school and used drugs and have ocd which makes me second guess myself
I am 66 yrs. old and last year was diagnosed with seizures. Since them my scores at lumosity have dropped considerably. I get frustrated because I can’t remember. This happens other times and I have learned to just keep quiet. What can I do to increase my memory?
Hello!
For a couple of months now I have been playing lumosity games. At first I noticed a big difference; better scores, better confidence, better memory…
But I am taking an speed-education (I don’t know what it’s called in english, but I finish the last two years of my school in one) and how longer I attend school at a stretch, how worse my scores at lumosity seem to get: when I have to attend school from 8.30 to 17.00 three weeks at a stretch, I will not be able to get even close to my highscores and hollidays do not seem to last long enough to regain. Could this mean I am overworking my brain?
I work quite a lot (it’s a lot of work) and do take extra vitamins to make up for it, but on the other hand I am addicted to energy-drinks to be able to keep up with the learning-pace.
But if I would be overworking my brain, would that have long-term consequences?
I read on the lumosity prolonged stress can be destructive to the nervous system…
Hoping for a reply,
Gwyneth.
I happened upon this website by pure accident tonite. I feel a long time prayer request of mine has been answered in finding you. I am very impressed with Dr.Green’s knowledge,and her down to earth way of imparting it. I have a son who is 12y,he was dx.w/ADHD @ 7y.This has greatly disabled his ability to learn easily.School continues to cause him great anxiety, so, of course he continues to dislike school and learning.Testing has shown he has major problems in “executive functioning skills.” Now in Middle sch.,I’ve been told he needs to be in an LD class all day, which is totally apart from his reg.7th grd.classmates and schedule. I disagree w/ them on some classes,so he is only in these “separate” ones part of the day, which he hates.But,struggles greatly in the regular classroom with being able to keep up. I know my boy can learn anything anybody can teach him, in his own way. I have searched for interesting,clever ways to help him for years now. He does so well with learning things he can relate to, and likes.But,the schools have to gear the majority of their teaching toward the way the majority learns, I’m told. Leaving less time for a child who learns things different from the norm. I have fought this idea since 1st grd. Your brain exercises are just the type of help I have been praying for. I can’t wait to get him started on these! They seem to be kid friendly, and I bet it won’t be a battle to get his cooperation, like homework is. I wish I would have found you long ago. I am a R.N., and I feel this type of brain therapy could greatly benefit any child with ADD or ADHD. Why, I have to ask, thru all my research, dealing with Dr.’s, school special ed staff,etc.on this subject for all these years, have I not ever been told about this type of brain therapy? This just amazes me, that this is not standard recommended treatment for children with ADHD or ADD. Dr. Green seems to be the perfect type of physician that could help a child,or a parent of child, with this type disorder. These children are not handicapped, most of them, like my son, are very intelligent. Their brains just need a little more help with developing some skills as quickly as the “norm” for their age group.This is why studies show many grow out of the dx. They eventially find a way to make it work. I just know your ideas on exercising the brain, would, and will work to help me and my child. God Bless you all! Please, if there are any other type treatments you could recommend, or if there is any way I can keep you all, and Dr.Green close, please tell how. This is the first time in all these years I have felt hopeful,& positive about something to help my son become just a “normal little boy” that he and I both so want him to feel in school.
Yours Truly,
Cyndi Cochran, RN, BSN
Cartersville, Georgia
Other people seem to be able to visually picture images in their minds - I cannot. For instance, if I draw even a simple figure, say, a square on a piece of paper, and then close my eyes I cannot form a picture of the square in my mind. When I close my eyes and try to visualize something, I see only ‘black space’. I would like to learn more about forming images in the mind. Is there any readily available (to a non specialist) information on visualization ?
Hi-I’m a student in a University in Italy (Turin), in philosophia. I’m 29 years old. Yesterday I have bought the book by Cynthia Green (Total memory work out:8 easy steps to maximum memory fitness). Do you think this book will can help me? Is this book only for principiant?
Thank
I have been playing the games and have done well, but only when the volume is off. Is volume supposed to be on while doing the tests?
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