Brain exercise - Memory Matrix
This new exercise will work your memory for spatial layouts and object pattern recognition. We’re still putting the final touches on it, so please send us your feedback so we can keep making it better.
You can find Memory Matrix here: http://games.lumosity.com/memory_matrix.html
This new exercise will work your mental flexibility, logical problem solving, and working memory abilities. We’re still putting the final touches on it, so send us your feedback so we can keep making it better.
You can find By the Rules here: http://games.lumosity.com/by_the_rules.html
We’ve previously recommended fish as a food that’s particularly good for your brain – in large part because it’s high in omega-3 fatty acids. 
While this holds true for many fish, one of the most popular, Tilapia, actually contains very little of the beneficial fatty acids according to new research from Wake Forest School of Medicine.
Instead, Tilapia is loaded with omega-6, which can cause inflammation that is bad for the heart. In fact, one of the authors of the study said, “the inflammatory potential of hamburger and pork bacon is lower than the average serving of farmed tilapia.”
So make sure your fish provides the right kind of fish fats! Some good options are Salmon, Mackerel, Trout, Whitefish, and Bluefin Tuna.
K. Warner Schaie and Sherry L. Willis are two of the more important researchers in the area of aging and cognitive training. They oversee the Seattle Longitudinal Study, which followed adults across many years as they grew older, regularly monitoring their cognitive status. Among their most important findings:
Reference:
Schaie, K. W., & Willis, S. L. (2005). Intellectual functioning in adulthood: Growth, maintenance, decline and modifiability. Washington, D.C.: American Society on Aging and Metlife Foundation.
Men more likely to have problems with memory and thinking skills
CHICAGO – When it comes to remembering things, new research shows men are more likely than women to have mild cognitive impairment, the transition stage before dementia. The research will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology 60th Anniversary Annual Meeting in Chicago, April 12–19, 2008.
“This is one of the first studies to determine the prevalence of mild cognitive impairment among men and women who have been randomly selected from a community to participate in the study,” said study author Rosebud Roberts, MD, with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, and member of the American Academy of Neurology. Mild cognitive impairment can also be described as impairment in memory or other thinking skills beyond what’s expected for a person’s age and education.
Since we launched Lumosity last year, we’ve heard lots of feedback from users saying you love the brain games, and the feeling of getting smarter and seeing your improvement. One thing many of you have requested is more exercises and games. Well, we’ve just raised $3 million from 2 top venture capital firms, as well as some really smart individual investors, in order to keep improving Lumosity so it’s always the best site for brain training.
Our new partners are FirstMark Capital and Norwest Venture Partners (NVP), and together we will be able to continue our research into how to increase brain performance and maintain brain health in the best – and most enjoyable – ways possible.
The official press release is on the next page.
Your Brain Performance Index (BPI) is how you measure and track your cognitive performance, and compare your ability in one area to another. All active Lumosity users have a BPI. You can check yours in the My History section, or if you’re not already a member you can sign-up and get your BPI by playing the brain training games.
An increase in BPI indicates improvement. Remember that BPI is a way to track your own personal progress – it is not intended as a way to compare yourself to other people.
How is BPI calculated?
The BPI scales are based on an analysis and ranking of over 7,200,000 real game results. We used these game results to create a distribution of scores for each activity so we know how an individual score stacks up to all others. We then evaluate your game scores and use a proprietary algorithm to derive your BPI. Each time you play, we update your BPI to accurately reflect your current brain performance.
How is overall BPI calculated?
Your Overall BPI is your average BPI across each of the four cognitive areas: attention, memory, processing speed and cognitive control. This number provides a concise measure of your overall brain performance. If you are weak in one area, it will bring down your overall score, so it’s a good idea to focus on the games where you scores are lowest.
Can I compare my BPI in one area to another?
Yes. The BPI converts scores in very different activities to the same scale based on average scores across all users. For example, a BPI of 400 in Birdwatching is equivalent to a BPI of 400 in Word Bubbles.
It seems there’s no end to new reasons to drink coffee. From PhysOrg:
“A daily dose of caffeine blocks the disruptive effects of high cholesterol that scientists have linked to Alzheimer’s disease. A study in the open access publication, Journal of Neuroinflammation revealed that caffeine equivalent to just one cup of coffee a day could protect the blood-brain barrier (BBB) from damage that occurred with a high-fat diet.”
We’re all equipped with a blood-brain barrier, which acts as a filter to isolate the brain from chemicals found in your body that shouldn’t be in your brain. One reason high cholesterol is bad for your brain is that it damages the blood-brain barrier to the point that it’s not as good at keeping harmful chemicals out.
Though this study found that daily caffeine helps protect the blood-brain barrier in rabbits, it’s still (sadly) too early for coffee drinkers to cast away fears of fat intake. Even if the results translate to humans, a high-fat diet is bad for your body and brain in a number of other ways. Still, this is one more reason to appreciate your morning java.
Copyright © 2010 Lumos Labs, Inc. All Rights Reserved
