When did brain training originate?
Neuropsychology - the understanding of brain mechanisms - began in 1861 when Pierre-Paul Broca published a paper on the localisation of language in the brain (Broca's Area). Cognitive training and behavioral therapy has been used in hospitals and in the military for more than 40 years.
However, the term Brain Training which we find in common use today has developed as a result of a series of computer games and software that purportedly improve your memory and your intelligence.
Does it work?
If you've ever played any brain training games, you would probably agree that most people do seem to improve the more they play the games. However, this is true for any activities that we undertake regularly - the old adage that 'practice makes perfect'. The crucial point with respect to brain training is that in order for it's claims to boost memory and intelligence to hold true, we would need to see improvements that were applicable outside of the activities that people were practicing - does playing brain training games make you better at doing anything apart from playing brain training games?