Health & Fitness Blog

When you’re racking your brain for gift ideas this holiday season don’t forget to put brain training software on your list. You can be pretty sure that they don’t already have it, and for the right person it’s sure to make you a hit.

Do you know someone who loves puzzles, craves mental stimulation, and likes a challenge? Good brain training software not only meets these requirements but can also improve a person’s ability to solve those puzzles and meet those mental challenges, making it doubly rewarding.

On the other hand, your loved one may reside on the other side of the cranial fence, so to speak, lacking mental stimulation and beginning to suffer from the inevitable mental decline that sets in when we reach our early forties. Buying brain training software for someone in this category can be a little trickier, a bit like buying an exercise bike for someone with a few extra pounds to shed. Will the recipient be truly grateful for our loving gesture, or will he secretly wonder how much the bike will fetch on eBay? Nevertheless, for someone itching to shed those mental pounds, brain training software is just the ticket.

Although it’s not yet a household phenomenon, brain training has established the scientific credentials to demonstrate that it is here to stay. Week after week news studies show that the brain isn’t just a fixed gray lump, but something that can grow and change with the right stimulation. Test scores, mental health, intelligence – all respond to the right kind of mental exercise making brain training software not just a novel gift but an adaptable one, too.

There’s only one snag. Which brain training software to buy? Here’s where things get somewhat more difficult.

Since the brain training field is relatively new, there hasn’t yet been a shakeout in the market. Far from it. This year software vendors have been releasing new brain training products thick and fast hoping for a piece of the growing pie. For consumers this results in a minefield – high-priced products, affordable products, science-based training, pseudoscientific games. It’s all out there.

This checklist will help you choose wisely:

1. Is the training derived from a specific scientific program or research study, and what did that study show? (If this isn’t clearly stated, beware.)

2. Does the training meets the baseline goals for plastic change in the brain – that it demands focus and attention with a rewarding exercise, and that it progressively trains core brain functions (such as working-memory, processing speed and left / right brain interaction)? As with anything worth the effort, if it’s not challenging, it won’t work.

3. What’s the timing and time requirement of the training program to produce the stated benefits? The vendor should be clear about how much time is needed and how long the recommended training program will last.

Since the field is so new, price doesn’t necessarily indicate quality or effectiveness. Some brain training programs cost several hundred dollars, while other can be had for a lot less. The market has yet to settle on a reasonable cost for a good brain training product. If the product is expensive, can you afford it, does its effectiveness seem to warrant the additional expense? If the product is affordable, is the training protocol nevertheless robust and founded on good science?

But whether you splurge big bucks or track down an affordable gem, it’s certain that your research will reward you with a unique and well received gift.

Oxford-trained scientist, author, and technologist, Martin Walker is a member of The British Neuroscience Association, Learning and The Brain, and MENSA. His company Mind Evolve Software publishes free information on the field of neuroscience and brain training as well as effective and affordable brain exercise software under the brand name Mind Sparke.