Our brains perform numerous cognitive duties, including language processing, attention, and memory. However, specific factors, like age and health conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, can affect these abilities.
If you've recently undergone an Alzheimer's gene test and discovered that you have genes linked to the disease, you may begin to fear the worst. Concerns over how potentially developing the illness in the future could affect your memory may be prevalent in your mind.
However, it's not all doom and gloom. Current research shows that there might be links between brain training and slowing down the effects of Alzheimer's disease on cognitive functions.
Although the studies aren't conclusive and don't point towards a cure for the illness, they show that brain training can help develop greater cognitive reserve. In basic terms, cognitive reserve is the brain's ability to protect against the declining functions resulting from age and sicknesses like Alzheimer's disease.
Amazingly, one of the ways to consistently train your brain and improve your cognitive reserve is by playing brain games. In this article, we dive into the benefits of brain training and the top games to enhance memory retention.
How Brain Training Can Improve Cognitive Reserve
Cognitive reserve refers to the brain's ability to cope with the degenerative changes that affect cognitive functions, like memory, due to aging or sickness.
Some studies have shown that increased cognitive reserve can delay the effects of Alzheimer's disease and aging on our brain's functions. Interestingly, it's possible to enhance cognitive reserve through specific brain training activities like playing games.
Brain games that challenge and engage your cognitive functions can improve abilities like memory and attention and boost your cognitive reserve. Generally, these stimulating activities strengthen your neural connections in a way similar to building muscles through exercise.
As a result, you develop more resilience to the decline that happens to brain functions due to illnesses like Alzheimer's disease.
Brain Games to Improve Your Memory
You'll find diverse exciting games to stimulate and enhance your memory and other cognitive abilities. Here are some of the best games to train your brain’s functions:
Crossword Puzzles
Crossword puzzles are one of the classic brain training games, with numerous benefits to your cognitive functions. Playing these games engages and improves your memory and attention faculties.
Studies have also shown that crossword puzzles enhance verbal and visual perception abilities. Beyond the cognitive advantages, they're also quite exciting to play. Considering these benefits, it's a no-brainer to include crosswords in your daily or weekly mental exercise routine.
Trivia Quizzes
Quiz games can help to improve your recollection, especially your short-term memory. However, memory isn't the only cognitive ability that benefits from these games. Your concentration and logical reasoning faculties also receive a boost from consistently engaging in trivia quizzes.
Amazingly, since quizzes can cover a broad range of topics, you can use them to expand your knowledge across diverse subjects. It's also not necessary to try out a new trivia game every time. You can play previous quizzes to test your ability to recollect answers from earlier trials.
Sudoku
The cognitive advantages of playing sudoku go beyond enhancing your memory. Since the game requires significant concentration and reasoning, it benefits your attention and critical thinking faculties.
Also, the game involves organizing numbers in a pattern and can help improve your visual-spatial skills, as a result. Sudoku comes in different complexity levels, providing varying opportunities to stimulate your cognitive functions.
Of course, if you're starting out, it makes sense to opt for the easier versions and proceed to more complex rounds with time. You can find Sudoku games in local newspapers or download one on your smartphone.
Chess
Few games challenge your brain's faculties like chess. It requires players to utilize their strategic thinking, critical reasoning, and decision-making skills to outwit opponents.
Your attention also comes in handy during gameplay since you must concentrate on your opponent's moves to influence your own. Finally, short-term recollection faculties help remember previous moves and strategies.
If you're looking to stimulate your brain's cognitive functions, chess is one of those games to invest time in.
Jigsaw Puzzles
Like other puzzle-based games, jigsaw puzzles stimulate multiple brain faculties simultaneously. These games utilize your concentration, critical thinking, memory, logical reasoning, and visual-spatial faculties as you attempt to fix the puzzle pieces in the right spots.
Engaging these abilities comes with numerous benefits. You can improve your problem-solving, creativity, and concentration abilities by solving puzzles. Jigsaw games also develop other vital faculties like your memory and IQ.
Conclusion
While illnesses like Alzheimer's disease may not be curable yet, it's possible to delay the degenerative cognitive changes through brain training.
Engaging in activities that stimulate your brain's functions, such as playing specific games, can strengthen neural connections, boost cognitive reserve, and build resistance to Alzheimer's disease symptoms like memory loss.
You can incorporate the games in this article into your daily and weekly activities to exercise your mental faculties. Of course, the options in this post aren't exhaustive. You can find other exciting brain and memory games that appeal to your preferences to try out and improve your mental capabilities.
This article was written in cooperation with Tom White