Improving Brain Health with Brain Fitness Games

Online, March 2, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Like anything else, your brain needs activity and work to stay healthy. When the word "fitness" is mentioned, most people think of a treadmill or an aerobics class. However, your brain needs to stay fit as well! Your brain is essential for your life and every activity that you perform, such as thinking, working, sleeping, and breathing.

brainTivity.com provides brain fitness exercises disguised as fun, entertaining games that actually make you want to play them. Gone are the boring brain exercises! brainTivity.com has designed games that are FUN!

We all know that it is never too late to start exercising your body ... and the same is true for your brain. It is never too late to start doing some mental push-ups to strengthen your brain.

Alzheimer's disease is a complex disease which may consist of factors operating over the course of a lifetime. Numerous studies have shown that participation in cognitively stimulating activities appears to be associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer's. Physical activity is important to keep your body fit, but this is not related to prevention of Alzheimer's - cognitive activity is necessary. (Cognitive activity and incident AD in a population-based sample of older persons Neurology 2002: 59: 1910-1914)

It has been found that the increase in time dedicated to intellectual activities from the ages of 20 to 60 is associated with a significant decrease in the risk of Alzheimer's. (Patients with Alzheimer's disease have reduced activities in midlife compared with healthy control-group members Published online before print March 6, 2001, doi: 10.1073/pnas.061002998 PNAS March 13, 2001 vol. 98 no. 6 3440-3445.)

These numbers can be quantified. Using a clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease by a board-certified neurologist using National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke/Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association criteria and change in global and specific measures of cognitive function, compared by cognitive activity score at baseline, a study was conducted to determine the reduction of the risk of Alzheimer's. It was found that a 1 point increase in cognitive activity was associated with a 33% reduction for risk of Alzheimer's. In controlled random effects models, a 1 point increase in cognitive activity was associated with a 47% reduced decline in global cognition, a 60% reduced decline of working memory and a 30% reduced decline of perceptual speed. (Participation in Cognitively Stimulating Activities and Risk of Incident Alzheimer Disease JAMA. 2002; 287: 742-748.)

brainTivity.com provides games that challenge your memory, reasoning, spatial, mathematics, and language skills. All games are family friendly and appeal to all ages and abilities. Games at brainTivity.com monitor your game play and the difficultly of the game increases with your skill level.

Challenge yourself and challenge your friends. Engage your brain with brainTivity.com