The popular executive function game Tower of Hanoi has been widgetized for you!  Share it as you will. Have fun!.

Before you try to figure out how the Egyptians built the pyramids, try out your problem-solving skills with this game. In this game, you must configure colored rings on a series of pegs in order to match a target. You can move the top-most ring on each peg to another peg, but you can only move one ring at a time and you can never put a larger ring on top of a smaller ring. From time to time, a given peg may not hold any rings: you may move any available ring you like on to an open space.

Did you manage to match the right sports with the right skills?

Here are the answers from the prior blog post:

Can you match which cognitive skills are needed for excellence in all sports? For example, in the game of horseshoes, hand-eye coordination and mental focus are critical to a successful game. How about swimming, rowing or tennis?

Find out the answers tomorrow in our blog!

How did you do on the  previously posted (Friday July 17th) logical reasoning challenge called  Writing in the Stars?

Here’s the answer:

1. recluse

2. amateur

3. attache

4. steeple

5. starter

6. rupture

Cheers!

We have launched the latest brain training exercise book, Protein Shakes for the Brain, developed by founders Michel  Noir, Ph.D and Bernard Croisile,  MD Neurology, Ph.D. & HAPPYneruron’s Chief Scientist. Discover 90 new games and exercises to train your brain over the summer months on the go.

Protein Shakes for the Brain, is packed full of exercises for every ability - Just Starting Out (Easy), Getting Fit (Medium), and Iron Man (Hard). In each area there’s a great variety to provide that cross training exposure your brain craves. Here’s a game of logical reasoning from the Iron Man section. Try it out. Take as long as you need. Here’s how it works: Of the nine words listed below, place six of them in the star. The arrows indicate the direction of the word in the star. Can you do it?

How did you do?

Check out the answer on Sunday July 19th at  Writing in the Stars Answer.

Want to practice this game some more? Login today and play it online.

Cognitive capabilities are important to strengthen for continued safe driving as we age. In recent years, state-sponsored research in Maryland has shown that if a driver fails a cognitive test, he is 25 percent more likely to be involved in a crash. That’s quite an statistic.

The good news is that the cognitive abilities important to driving can be prolonged and even rehabilitated even if they are in decline. The brain gets lulled by routine, which does little to stimulate new cell growth. But challenged to adjust to new locales and situations, cognitive abilities can recover.

If older drivers are healthier and more alert, they may be driving differently, to different places and have different travel patterns, such as spending more time on highways, which are the “safest types of roads for them” according to the auto insurance industry.

Here’s a reminder of the cognitive skills required for driving:

• The motor skill of driving requires co-ordination
• Analysis of the street and highway environment requires good shape perception, visuo-spatial analysis, visual and selective attention skills
• Awareness and monitoring of the traffic patterns and situations involves executive functions.

So keep up your structured cognitive cross training routine and you’ll be a safer driver.