Can you train your brain?

Have you developed your brain to function at optimum capacity? Are you using your brain to its fullest potential? If you need help, there are a wealth of brain-training programs that promise to help your mind work more quickly and efficiently, much like physical fitness workouts for  the body. But beware! A new study published in the scientific journal Nature says these brain fitness programs may not live up to their billing. Researchers trained more than 11-thousand subjects on computer-based tasks designed to improve memory, reasoning, planning, and visual skills. They found that participants did improve on the specific tasks on which they were trained. However, when the subjects were given closely related tasks on which they had NOT been trained, there was no evidence they were able to  transfer these skills or effects. And researchers argue that without such a transfer, there was no true training of the brain. So while doing word or math games, puzzles, teasers, and tests can be fun and stimulating,  there's still no conclusive proof that it actually makes you smarter.

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