Brain Games
Training your brain doesn't have to be a chore. Don't put limits on your mind. Challenge your brain and discover how far it can go with our brain games. Take a look at our games below and give them a try. Sign Up Now!
Short-Term Memory
Naming
Working Memory
Non-verbal Memory
Phonological Short-term Memory
Contextual Memory
Auditory perception
Visual Perception
Spatial Perception
Visual Scanning
Estimation
Width of Field of View
Recognition
Processing Speed
Planning
Shifting
Hand-eye Coordination
Response Time
Focused Attention
Divided Attention
Inhibition
Updating
Train with games for specific cognitive skills Brain games can help evaluate and train your mind, your brain, and your cognitive abilities. Taking advantage of the latest research on neuroplasticity, CogniFit has developed specific brain workouts for the various cognitive skills we use in our everyday lives. Through the CogniFit online platform, you will have access to a large number of games and you will be able to select specific training exercises that suit your particular needs. Improve your cognitive abilities every day Play every day and challenge your mind. With just 10 minutes a day, you can keep your brain in shape. Memory, attention, coordination, cognitive flexibility... train as needed. In addition, the training adapts automatically according to your level in a personalized way. At CogniFit we want you to enjoy stimulating your brain.
Do Brain Games Work? A Common Question
The simple answer is yes. Playing brain games repetitively over time drives your brain to adapt to other neurological areas through complex stimuli and interference variables. With the CogniFit Training Program our AI will detect your cognitive status and plan your day to day tasks for completion. According to the study conducted by Jaeggi et al. (2008), "The effects of cognitive training on working memory are task specific and transferable." By being transferable that means that daily tasks may see improvement!
Depending on the challenges you are experiencing we offer a personalized approach to planning a fun way to train the areas of cognition that are not your strongest. Think of CogniFit like a workout for your most complex muscle, your brain. When you get better at something it gets easier to do, but not with our training regiment! When you get better at brain training games it gets harder and harder, pushing yourself to improve your cognitive response to the stimuli.
Brain Games and Neuroplasticity
The older brain is still plastic, it has the ability to reconnect itself in response to a stimulus to the environment. The neurological plasticity does not end during our critical development stages but continues throughout our life. If we discover how to channel and target different cognitive functions we can get some incredible effects. People think games like playing crossword puzzles and similar games do not really push these cognitive abilities at a very fundamental level. Not everything you do will be equally good for your brain, that is why we leverage AI technology to examine what areas of your brain need help and have you take those games as priority.
Do Brain Games Make You Smarter?
The answer to this question is a little more complicated. While playing brain games may help improve certain cognitive abilities like concentration and focus, it's not clear whether they actually make people smarter or increase knowledge retention. Some studies suggest that they may, while others indicate that the benefits are limited. Our app has been used on millions of devices and the reviews indicate it has been helpful to the group of people who test their skills regularly. It's likely that different games will have different effects on different people, so it's important to try out a few different types to see what works best for you.
We offer a large collection of challenging tests, word games, and other brain games to support those looking to stay cognitively fit. With a personalized approach to brain health coaching we have hundreds of videos to explain the rules and walk you through the process and better understand the reporting. Please explore the different content for kids, adults, and seniors and discover what might work best for you.
What games increase IQ?
If you're looking to improve your cognitive abilities, brain games are a good place to start. However, it's important to keep in mind that they're only one part of the puzzle. A healthy lifestyle, including a balanced diet and regular exercise, is also essential for maintaining cognitive health. Additionally, social activities and mentally stimulating hobbies can also have an impact on your overall health.
The Science Behind Brain Games
After receiving 12 hours of training on a specific game, with play sessions spread out over a month, the 60-85 year olds improved their cognitive performance. Eventually it surpassed that of 20 year olds who played the game for the very first time Anguera et al. (2013).
The training showed significance with working memory and sustained attention by improving these areas of cognitive function. Participants retained the trained ability up to 6 months after the training end, and some are still playing as of today.
Benefits of playing Brain Games
People use brain-training activities for improving their thinking skills. Supporting this claim are results from studies suggesting brain-training games might increase attention, memory, reaction time, memory, logic ability, cognitive function in a prolonged time frame.
Brain Games as ADHD Therapy
In a UCSF study, Dr. Gazzaley found that after eight weeks of training, children who played the game showed significant improvements in ADHD symptoms, including increases in working memory, inhibition, and task-switching abilities. These improvements were still present four weeks after the children stopped playing the game.
"This is the first demonstration that a form of cognitive training can enhance cognition in children with ADHD", said Dr. Gazzaley. "The results have implications far beyond this particular disorder, as they suggest that cognitive training can improve specific neural circuitry and perhaps serve as a new approach for treating other disorders characterized by impaired executive function".
Even the FDA in 2018 cleared a cognitive game as a treatment for ADHD.
Brain Games as a Digital Therapeutic
Russell A. Barkley, PhD, says "This is a potentially important advance in the treatment of ADHD", an ABC News medical contributor and author of ‘Taking Charge of ADHD’. "One of the problems we have with medications is that they don't help with all the symptoms of ADHD, and they don't help with the everyday executive function deficits that people with ADHD have".
While more research is needed to confirm the long-term benefits of using video games to treat neurological problems, this study provides preliminary evidence that cognitive training with brain games like CogniFit can improve symptoms in children with ADHD and possibly other cognitive deficits.
In the Horowitz-Kraus (2013) study, it was observed that CogniFit cognitive training had an impact on both executive functions and reading literacy in ADHD children with and without reading problems. In fact, CogniFit has a wide range of scientific studies of the highest scientific quality (Shah et al., 2017) on healthy people or people with a disorder, and CogniFit studies are almost the only ones whose trainings produce significant effect sizes (Nguyen et al., 2021).
John Hopkins University psychiatrist and researcher Joshua W. Buckholtz, PhD. exclaimed "The finding that a video game can serve as an effective treatment for ADHD is very exciting! It opens up a new avenue for brain training development".
The History of Brain Games
The first brain game was created in Japan in the early 1980s. The game, called "Niko Niko Pun", required players to remember a sequence of numbers and then repeat the sequence back.
Since then, brain games have become increasingly popular and sophisticated. In recent years, there has been a boom in "neurogaming" or "brain training" games, the popularity in mobile technology allows for people to have easier access to enjoyable content.
Some of the original brain games include:
- The crossword puzzle
- Dominoes
- Sudoku
- Mahjong
- Chess
- Bridge
And many more.
The Future of Brain Games
CogniFit releases a new Brain Game every month. Be sure to check in and find out what their development team is creating. With over 60 games and new ones being added consistently, we are sure you will find something you love! Try them all for free and if you want to level up your game make your way on over to your favorite game and click play.
Scientific References
Anguera, J., Boccanfuso, A. Gazzaley, J., Rintoul, J., et al (2013). Video game training enhances cognitive control in older adults. Nature 501, 97–101 . doi: 10.1038/nature12486
Bavelier, D., Green, C. S., Pouget, A., & Schrater, P. (2012). Brain plasticity through the life span: Learning to learn and action video games. Annual Review of Neuroscience, 35(1), 391-416.
Draganski, B., Gaser, C., Buschkuehl, M., Schuetze,, H., Nyberg,, L,. . . Herholz,, K.(2004) Changes in grey matter induced by learning–a Voxel-based morphometry study. European Journal of Neuroscience 19(10), 2593-2602
Dye, M. W., & Bavelier, D. (2009). Increasing speed of processing with action video games. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 18(6), 321-326.
Dye, M. W., Green, C. S., & Bavelier, D. (2010). Enumeration versus multiple object tracking: The case of action video game players. Cognition, 118(1), 1-10.
Green, C. S., & Bavelier, D. (2003). Action-video-game experience alters the spatial resolution of vision. Psychological Science, 14(6), 88-94.
Horowitz-Kraus, T. (2013). Differential Effect of Cognitive Training on Executive Functions and Reading Abilities in Children With ADHD and in Children With ADHD Comorbid With Reading Difficulties. Journal of Attention Disorders, 19(6), 515–526. https://doi.org/10.1177/1087054713502079
Jaeggi, S. M., Buschkuehl, M., Jonides, J., & Perrig, W. J. (2008). The effects of cognitive training on working memory are task specific and transferable. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 34(4), 765-779.
Kang, Y., Park, D. C., Son, J. H., & Kim, E. H. (2012). The effect of cognitive training on the attentional blink: A meta-analysis. PLoS ONE, 7(5), e37633-e37633
Nguyen, L., Murphy, K., & Andrews, G. (2021). A Game a Day Keeps Cognitive Decline Away? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Commercially-Available Brain Training Programs in Healthy and Cognitively Impaired Older Adults. Neuropsychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11065-021-09515-2
Owen, A. M., Hampshire, A., Grahn, J., Stenton, R., Doyon, J., Ballard, C,. . . Hampshire, A.(2010) Putting brain training to the test: transfer effects in healthy older adults. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 107(27), 12095-12100
Shah, T. M., Weinborn, M., Verdile, G., Sohrabi, H. R., & Martins, R. N. (2017). Enhancing Cognitive Functioning in Healthy Older Adults: a Systematic Review of the Clinical Significance of Commercially Available Computerized Cognitive Training in Preventing Cognitive Decline. Neuropsychology Review, 27(1), 62–80. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11065-016-9338-9
Willoughby, M., Moore, G., & Conway,, A.(2011) The Impact of Video Games on the Development of Executive Function Skills in Early Adolescents: A Longitudinal Study. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology 109(3), 473-490.
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