Session number: 3

Average n-back: 37.2

I have to say that this is a great program. I’ve gotten stuck on this one. Some people wonder how I know all sorts of things, while I’m wondering how to get past 5 on this thing. But nothing is impossible; I’ll make it there eventually. (P.S. I’M A BANANA!!! Sorry. ADD.)

MindSparke Brain Training Software

This post was submitted by Carson.

Session number: 2

Average n-back: 5.4

So i’m back on track. Was able to go up to 6n on the first exercise and to 4n in the second. I’m exercising daily, keeping my brain active with chess, go, logic and math, reading lots, sleeping well. I’ve cut down on coffee (from 4 cups a day to 2) and drinking green/black tea instead, and lots of water. I’m feeling great. Wide awake, active, and im starting to notice improvements in memory… I feel quite agile and am very motivated

Thanks for the great program!

MindSparke Working Memory Training

This post was submitted by Miguel Guasch.

Our psychologist recommended trying CogMed, but due to the high cost involved, I decided to try Brain Fitness Pro Jr first as I have the time to spend with my son to ensure he completes the exercises, and feel I have a good understanding of the subject from the reading I have done. I am hoping to see some improvement in his working memory and focus. He is beginning to understand that he has issues in these areas, and is somewhat self-conscious and intimidated at school as a result.

Week 1: He started with Straightahead. His scores for the first five sessions were: 4.63, 6.13, 6.5, 5.63 and 5.75. He was curious and motivated for the first few days, but the tedium set in fairly quickly.The sessions last 12 minutes, and that’s enough for him. I see his focus start to wander after the first five minutes or so and his performance declines. Next week we still try Switchback.

Week 2: My son’s scores on Switchback were 2.63, 3.88, 5.38, 4.00, and 4.63. Interesting that it follows the same rise-fall-rise pattern as the first week on Straightahead. I haven’t timed it, but it seems that my son starts to lose focus after the first 5-6 minutes, I see his performance decline after that point. As a note to the software designers, while my son and I both find the Looney Tunes voices of Daffy Duck and Yosemite Sam cute when they are encouraging, I have to say that I didn’t care for the “No, no, no, you’re doing it all wrong!” message you get after giving too many incorrect responses. Being blasted with “You’re doing it all wrong!” when struggling with a tedious but hard task didn’t do anything to boost my son’s spirits, even if it was said by Daffy Duck. He KNOWS he’s doing it wrong and already feels badly about it.

Next week we will go back to Straightahead.

Synaptic Communication

How do we keep thoughts in our mind? It seems a simple question until we remind ourselves of the brain as a dynamic labyrinth of neurons constantly firing and receiving electrical signals. But researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison believe they’ve figured out how working memory holds a piece of information. The holder of a thought, they have discovered, is a molecular sensor that controls nerve cell communication keeping a message present and active even long after its delivery.

“The sensor could play a role in keeping a thought ‘on line’ until it is either lost or burned into longer-lasting forms of memory,” says the study lead Dr. Edwin Chapman, a professor at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health.

Most communication between synapses occurs instantaneously–an electrical impulse spurs calcium in the sending cell to release a burst of neurotransmitter into the receiving cell. This process takes just milliseconds to play out.

The Wisconsin scientists focused instead on a second, slower, asynchronous communication phase, in which residual levels of calcium continue to cause the release of neurotransmitters over several seconds.

“We knew that different calcium sensors controlled these two distinct phases of synaptic transmission,” says Chapman, based in the Department of Neuroscience.

The team theorized that slow transmission, with its maintenance of a communication state for a longer time period, might be the key to the retention of thoughts in working memory. They found that they were able to change the speed of slow release with higher and lower levels of a protein called Doc2 without impacting fast release.

“Doc2 took its time responding to calcium, unlike synaptotagmin, which responded immediately,” Chapman says.

The research could eventually produce practical results providing insight into conditions such as autism and schizophrenia. “Defects in release mechanisms are seen in many nerve diseases,” says Chapman.

Hot Chocolate

Scientists at Australia's Swinburne University have found a link between chocolate consumption and brain power, specifically the efficiency of working memory processing.

The randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial led by Dr David Camfield of the Centre for Human Psychopharmacology (and funded by a large chocolate manufacturer, although the company had no involvement in conducting the study or producing the results) gave "preliminary evidence that [cocoa flavanols] can help people to do cognitive tasks more effectively," according to Camfield.

Flavanols, chemicals found in plant foods, including grapes, apples, tea and cocoa, have anti-inflammatory properties and been previously linked to a wide range of health benefits.

Past the age of 40 we lose about 1% of our spatial working memory capacity per year; Camfield's study involved 63 middle-aged volunteers aged between 40 and 65 years. The participants were divided into three groups. One group drank cocoa with 500 milligrams of flavanols, a second group with 250 milligrams of flavanols, and a third group had a placebo drink each for 30 days.

Camfield and his team then tested the activation of the brain during a spatial working memory test before and after the 30-day treatment period using imaging technology.

"We didn't find any differences in terms of accuracy or reaction time in terms of task itself, but we found differences in the brain activity," says Camfield. "It's suggests that they were processing the tasks more efficiently when they were taking the cocoa flavanols," he says. "I guess you could say they weren't working as hard doing the same task."

If anyone is interested in trying a month of regular dark chocolate consumption combined with MindSparke brain training I'd be curious to hear your impressions.

1. In Stages 3 and 4, the N-level indicator will now change color at the end of a training block when the N-level moves up or down.  The background will show green when the N-level increases, and orange when it decreases. Otherwise it will remain white.

2. We’ve added subscription status and subscription management features to the Profile panel.  If you need to update your payment method, cancel your subscription, or renew your subscription you can get to these functions through the Profile panel (click on the toolbar button that looks like the a person’s silhouette).

3. We’ve added version management. Version management happens behind the scenes but should prevent you having to reload the program or clear your browser’s cache when we release further updates in the future.

Please let us know if you have questions or suggestions!

Best wishes,
Martin Walker

MindSparke Working Memory Training

Session number: 1

Average n-back: 5.44

Wow, this has been really inspiring. I always thought I was stupid and bypassing stage 1 and almost stage 2 on the first session makes me feel really good about myself. I think this will definitely help my confidence

MindSparke Brain Training Software

This post was submitted by Deanna.

Session number: 4

Average n-back: 3

I just did the meditation before I stared my daily session and I improved a great deal, I was more focused than before when i just did the session without the meditation

MindSparke Working Memory Training

This post was submitted by Niyiin.

Session number: 3

Average n-back: 3.75

Hello everyone

I am having a real difficulty with the visual part of the program. The verbal I can do almost perfectly and the visual is not too bad if I do it alone. I am stumped as to how to improve and put the two together to get some more progress.
Any suggestion welcomed.

Regards,
Jessie Nelson

MindSparke Brain Training Software

This post was submitted by Jessie Nelson.

Session number: 1

Average n-back: 4.2

Able to complete second stage in one session; felt pretty awesome. I’m training in order to aid myself as an aspiring entrepreneur. Good luck to everyone!!

MindSparke Brain Training Software

This post was submitted by Bourbon Luva.