Ready To Test Your Exec­u­tive Atten­tion Capacity?

stroop test

Quick! say aloud what color you see in every word, NOT the word you read.

Expla­na­tion: 

The Stroop test is used in neu­ropsy­cho­log­i­cal eval­u­a­tions to mea­sure men­tal vital­ity and flex­i­bil­ity, since per­form­ing well requires strong atten­tion and self-regulation capability.

Enjoy the day. You can enjoy many more mind and brain teasers with Shirsa.me. 

- Team Shirsa

How Do I know Which Exercises To Use In Shirsa?

Think about what you most want to improve: your Memory, Attention, Brain Speed, Critical thinking, and Problem solving. 

Shirsa Exercises

Start with the exercises in that category. Please note, however, that the exercises are complementary, and working in one category will likely enhance benefits in another domain. 

We often recommend that people begin with Brain Speed, since increasing the speed with which the brain can work with information is the foundation for all other cognitive skills.


- Sukhada Desai

Is Shirsa Proven To Work? Have Studies Been Published?

Shirsa Proven to Work

Yes. Dozens of journal articles supports the impact of  brain training exercises on normal aging adults. 

These indicate that the Shirsa not only improves key standard measures of cognitive function (including speed and accuracy of processing, attention, and memory), they also improve key standard measures of quality of life (including health-related quality of life, feelings of control, depressive symptoms, and functional independence). 

If you are interested in learning more about our studies, click here. 

- Sukhada Desai

How Does Shirsa Achieve These Benefits?

Shirsa's exercises are based on a handful of powerful ideas. Unlike previous cognitive training, they do not try to fix a problem by practicing it—they don’t improve memory by practicing memory. 

Rewiring the Brain

Instead, the exercises start with elemental cognitive function by first improving the speed and accuracy of your sensory perceptions. This becomes the foundation for improved attention. Improved attention is the building block of working memory, and working memory is the building block of much else—immediate memory, delayed memory, episodic memory, executive function, reasoning, speech and language, visual-spatial skills, and so on. No one has taken this complete bottom-up approach to cognitive training before.

In addition, our scientists are experts in brain plasticity, the ability of the brain to re-wire and change. Each exercise draws on what experts have learned in recent years about driving change in the brain.

Training must be focused on improving speed to meet real-world conditions; it must intensively and progressively improve accuracy; it must adapt continuously and minutely (by thousandths of a second) to each person’s performance; it must be designed so the task gradually generalizes to real-world experience; it must be engaging in a way that stimulates neurotransmitters (chemicals in the brain that enhance attention, learning and mood) and that brings you back to do the exercises again and again.

- Sukhada Desai

What Benefits You Can Get From Using Shirsa?

Benefits of Brain training

Improving your brain’s performance has the potential to bring countless benefits to your everyday life. 

Both science studies and customer stories show Shirsa speeds up thinking, sharpens attention, and enhances memory—and these benefits lead to myriad others ... from safer driving to feeling more confident in conversations. 

If you’d like to read about benefits our users have seen,  click here.  For a description of the most common benefits of Shirsa,  click here. For a description of science studies and their results, click here.


- Sukhada Desai

How Does Attention Relate To Brain Fitness?

Attention

Does it drive you crazy when you can’t remember where you put your keys? You probably weren’t paying much attention when you set them down.

When You really pay attention to something, you remember it better. Focusing your attention causes your barin to rlease special chemicals that strengthen learning and memory. It’s one of the clever ways your brain keeps track of what matters to you, and lets go of what doesn’t.

It’s all too easy to pay less attention than we intend to. We get out of practice. Re-training your brain to focus better is a key part of improving memory!

   -  Team Shirsa

You Have The Power To Improve Your Brain!!!!!!!!

Improve your brain

Scientists once believed that mental ability was fixed after childhood. But over the last few decades, neuroscientists have discovered that adults’ brains are constantly changing – growing new neurons and connections – in a process known as neuroplasticity. Shirsa takes advantage of the brain’s innate neuroplasticity to help shape it into a more effective, powerful organ.







Instead of teaching specific skills that may only be useful in specific areas, Shirsa targets core cognitive processes that underlie performance in many different areas. These processes include memory, attention and other abilities that are critical in the real world.

Experimentally tested & clinically proven

The results of training with Shirsa are measured experimentally in randomized controlled trials. A typical experiment begins by measuring each person’s baseline abilities with tests of brain performance. After several weeks of training, each person is tested again to determine how much the Shirsa training has improved cognitive function.

Human Cognition Project – Uncovering the secrets of the brain

 The Human Cognition Project combines the database of human cognition – Pivot run Shirsa members who have collectively trained  – with a network of scientists and top neuroscience programs in the world – all to better understand human cognition so that we do more to improve brain performance.

Personalized for you

Each brain is unique, and everyone has different goals. We at Shirsa understands this and uses a patent-pending technology to combine the powerful database of the Human Cognition Project with sophisticated adaptive training algorithms to create a training program that’s right for each individual.

Personalized training programs are designed to help you achieve your goals. Additionally, each exercise adapts to your skill level, driving the maximum amount of benefit for each day of training. The more you tell us about your priorities, the more we can customize the training for you.


- Team Shirsa

Brain Training with Crossword Puzzles?

There has been a lot of debate over the years about whether or not working crossword puzzles can prevent Alzheimer’s Disease. 

It’s all a little confusing. Here’s the scoop: Crossword puzzles are great as a cognitive workout, but they cannot prevent Alzheimer’s Disease. Unfortunately, nothing can prevent a person from developing AD. However, doing brain stimulating activities that incorporate novelty, variety and complexity can help build your cognitive reserve and reduce the effects of dementia and AD. Anyways, crossword puzzles are still a great way to sharpen your cognitive skills.

Four Ways Crossword Puzzles Benefit Your Brain

1.     Enhance vocabulary  

2.     Strengthen word recall and memory

3.     Stimulate problem solving skills

4.     Improve focus and attention

If solving crossword puzzles is part of your routine, try changing it up a little. Variety and novelty are crucial components of cognitive reserve. Look for other word puzzles like acrostics or try a book with multiple kinds of word challenges.

If you get stuck, look up the information. Use the internet or reference guides to get info on a clue rather than looking at the answers. You are more likely to remember the information for future puzzles if you search for that information rather than just looking at the answer key.

- Team Shirsa