he brain is an undiscovered frontier. Notwithstanding outer-space, it is the last frontier. Biologically, chemically, and psychologically, our current knowledge and understanding of the brain is still in the astrology phases, mere psuedo-science by comparison. I am humbled by the amount of information still currently “unknown.” Worse yet, there is most likely an even larger volume of “unknown-unknowns,” information and truths we still don’t know that we don’t know. This lack of knowledge combined with our rigid assurance that “we know best” is almost laughable, but in contrast, the sublime reality that there is still so much to learn about ourselves, bears the belief and optimism that truly, we may be capable of anything…

And with that in mind, I recently discovered an amazing brain strengthening tool that I think is worth a look from anyone interested in staying mentally sharp across a lifetime. I first discover the company, Lumosity, because of an iPhone app I downloaded, Brain Trainer. It is the smaller, but equally fun and mobile version of their daily games, facts, and exercises found at Lumosity.com.

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Lumosity tests, sharpens, and scores your brain strength across 5 cognitive categories: Speed, Attention, Memory, Flexibility, and Problem-Solving. Regardless of the actual action, habit, decision, or interaction you have or do throughout your day, nearly every task we perform requires, on a fundamental level, some combination of these cognitive functions.

Until recently, many thought that, at birth you held the complete configuration of your maximum brain potential. That is that as you got older, particularly after 30, your brain would start to slow, killing off those unused neural connections, and that throughout your life, while you most likely could continue to learn new things or improve old behaviors, eventually, your brain would lose the majority of the capacity it once held, and you, your mind.

Fortunately, scientists- and particularly those behind the games at Lumosity- are now realizing that the more you use your brain, the more it maintains its originally potential. Indeed, the more it grows.

That means good-bye to the archaic notion that “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks!” We, like dogs, love to play games. We love physical games, like American football, soccer, or children’s tag, and mind games, like chess, Hangman, or Tic-tac-toe; we even like entirely make-believe games, like racing simulators, first-person shooters, role-playing fantasies or online social networking. That’s because games engage our minds; we are happy to solve the problems put to us by these games, because it is done in a manner that is quick, stimulating, and immersive. So it is seen that games can be useful tools for enhancing learning opportunities.

For many, the free, mobile iPhone version will be plenty of brain training needed (or wanted!). However, those wanting more of the science and an in-depth experience with the gaming and training courses, should head over to their website to check out the full catalogue, including some games in beta stages of development.

I have seen my scores improve steadily since becoming a member, and I enjoy the clarity of mind that comes with playing the games. Gaming won’t make you smart if you’re a dummy, but it can give you the tools to retool what you’ve already got.