NINTENDO DS Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day User Manual
63728A
P.O. Box 957, Redmond, WA 98073-0957 U.S.A.
Nintendo of America Inc.
www.nintendo.com
PRINTE D IN U SA
INSTRUCTION BOOKLET
PLEASE CA RE FU LLY RE AD T HE S EPARATE H EA LTH AN D SA FE TY
PRECAUT IO NS B OO KL ET I NC LU DE D WI TH THIS PRODU CT B EF OR E
USING Y OU R NI NT EN DO® HARDWA RE S YS TE M, G AME CARD OR
ACCESSO RY. T HI S BO OK LE T CO NTA IN S IM PORTAN T HE ALTH A ND
SAFETY IN FO RM ATI ON.
IMPORTAN T SA FE TY I NFORMATI ON : RE AD T HE FOLLOWING
WAR NI NG S BE FO RE Y OU OR YOUR CH IL D PL AY V ID EO G AM ES .
WARNING - Seizures
• Some people (about 1 in 4000) may have seizures or blackouts triggered by light flashes or patterns,
such as while watching TV or playing video games, even if they have never had a seizure before.
• Anyone who has had a seizure, loss of awareness, or other symptom linked to an epileptic condition
should consult a doctor before playing a video game.
• Parents should watch when their children play video games. Stop playing and consult a doctor if you
or your child have any of the following symptoms:
Convulsions Eye or muscle twitching Loss of awareness
Altered vision Involuntary movements Disorientation
• To reduce the likelihood of a seizure when playing video games:
1. Sit or stand as far from the screen as possible.
2. Play video games on the smallest available television screen.
3. Do not play if you are tired or need sleep.
4. Play in a well-lit room.
5. Take a 10 to 15 minute break every hour.
WARNING - Radio Frequency Interference
The Nintendo DS can emit radio waves that can affect the operation of nearby electronics, including
cardiac pacemakers.
• Do not operate the Nintendo DS within 9 inches of a pacemaker while using the wireless feature.
• If you have a pacemaker or other implanted medical device, do not use the wireless feature of the
Nintendo DS without first consulting your doctor or the manufacturer of your medical device.
• Observe and follow all regulations and rules regarding use of wireless devices in locations such as
hospitals, airports, and on board aircraft. Operation in those locations may interfere with or cause
malfunctions of equipment, with resulting injuries to persons or damage to property.
WARNING - Repetitive Motion Injuries and Eyestrain
Playing video games can make your muscles, joints, skin or eyes hurt after a few hours. Follow these
instructions to avoid problems such as tendinitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, skin irritation or eyestrain:
• Avoid excessive play. It is recommended that parents monitor their children for appropriate play.
• Take a 10 to 15 minute break every hour, even if you don’t think you need it.
• When using the stylus, you do not need to grip it tightly or press it hard against the screen. Doing so
may cause fatigue or discomfort.
• If your hands, wrists, arms or eyes become tired or sore while playing, stop and rest them for several
hours before playing again.
• If you continue to have sore hands, wrists, arms or eyes during or after play, stop playing and see a doctor.
WARNING - Battery Leakage
The Nintendo DS contains a rechargeable lithium ion battery pack. Leakage of ingredients contained within the
battery pack, or the combustion products of the ingredients, can cause personal injury as well as damage to your
Nintendo DS.
If battery leakage occurs, avoid contact with skin. If contact occurs, immediately wash thoroughly with soap and
water. If liquid leaking from a battery pack comes into contact with your eyes, immediately flush thoroughly with
water and see a doctor.
To avoid battery leakage:
• Do not expose battery to excessive physical shock, vibration, or liquids.
• Do not disassemble, attempt to repair or deform the battery.
• Do not dispose of battery pack in a fire.
• Do not touch the terminals of the battery, or cause a short between the terminals with a metal object.
• Do not peel or damage the battery label.
Important Legal Information
This Nintendo game is not designed for use with any unauthorized device. Use of any such device
will invalidate your Nintendo product warranty. Copying of any Nintendo game is illegal and is strictly
prohibited by domestic and international intellectual property laws. “Back-up” or “archival” copies are
not authorized and are not necessary to protect your software. Violators will be prosecuted.
REV–E
The ofcial seal is your assurance
that this product is licensed or
manufactured by Nintendo. Always
look for this seal when buying
video game systems,
accessories, games
and related
products.
Nintendo does not license the sale or use of products
without the Official Nintendo Seal.
NEED H ELP PL AYING A GAME ?
Nintendo’s game pages, at www.nintendo.com/games, feature
walkthroughs, frequently-asked questions, and codes for many of our
games. If your answer isn’t there, check out our forums where you can
If you don’t have access to the web-site, recorded tips for many titles are
available on Nintendo’s Power Line at (425) 885-7529. This may be a
long-distance call, so please ask permission from whoever pays the phone bill.
exchange tips with other gamers online.
For more information about our forums, visit
www.nintendo.com/community.
THIS GAME CARD WILL WORK
ONLY WITH THE NINT ENDO DSTM
VIDEO GAME SYST EM.
Wireless DS
Single-Card
2-16
Download Play
THIS GAME ALLOWS WIRELESS MULTIPLAYER
GAMES DOWNLOADED FROM ONE GAME CARD.
Contents
Foreword by Dr. Kawashima . . . . 5
Nintendo DS System Controls . . . 11
Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Daily Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Your First Training Session . . . . 14
Measuring Your Current Brain Age . 15
Creating a Personal Data File . . 17
Brain Age Check Results . . . . . . 18
Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Brain Age Check . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Brain Age Check Tests . . . . . . . 30
Graphs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Other Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Quick Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Quick Brain Age Check . . . . . . . 35
Quick Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Quick Sudoku . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Sudoku . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Download . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Vs. – Picture Drawing . . . . . . . . 41
Vs. – Word Scramble . . . . . . . . 42
Vs. – Number Memory . . . . . . . 42
Vs. – Change Maker . . . . . . . . . 42
Sending a Demo . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Using DS Download Play . . . . . . 47
Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
© 2005-2007 NINTENDO. © 2007 NIKOLI CO., LTD. TM, ® AND THE NINTENDO DS LOGO ARE TRADEMARKS OF
NINTENDO. © 2007 NINTENDO. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS PRODUCT EMPLOYS DECUMA ® HANDWRITING
RECOGNITION ENGINE FROM ZI CORPORATION. DECUMA ® IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ZI CORPORATION.
In this Instruction Booklet, the LCD Screen (top screen) is framed in
orange and the Touch Screen is framed in blue.
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Introduction
Hello! I’m Dr. Ryuta Kawashima! Did you know that just like how you lose
muscle mass with age, your brain function begins to decrease when you
reach maturity? This happens even if you lead a normal, healthy life. Everyone
knows you can prevent muscle loss with exercise, and use such activities to
improve your body over time. But we now know that the same is true of your
brain. If you proactively reinforce daily habits of brain training, you may help
to prevent a decrease in brain function.
Have you noticed yourself forgetting things lately? Do you have trouble
articulating exactly what you want to say? These symptoms may be
alleviated by training your brain. But such training is not just for adults.
Children, too, may be able to heighten their creativity and memory—and learn
self-control—by training their brains.
Ryuta Kawashima, MD
Getting the Most out of Your Prefrontal Cortex
The prefrontal cortex is like the control tower of your brain—it determines
how you use stored knowledge in practical situations. That means that your
“practical intelligence,” or ability to apply stored knowledge to your everyday
reality, depends upon how well your prefrontal cortex functions. So training
your prefrontal cortex could actually raise your intelligence!
Anterior Posterior
Angular Gyrus
Wernicke’s Area
Visual Cortex
Prefrontal Cortex
Inferior Temporal Gyrus
Frontal
Frontal
Lobe
Lobe
Parietal
Parietal
Lobe
Lobe
Temporal
Temporal
Lobe
Lobe
Occipital
Occipital
Lobe
Lobe
© 2006 Ryuta Kawashima
A Brief Explanation of The Brain
Both hemispheres of the human brain are divided into four parts: the frontal
lobe, parietal lobe, temporal lobe, and occipital lobe. The prefrontal region
(which makes up a large part of the frontal lobe) is the foundation of creativity,
memory, communication, and self-control. Its role could be described as the
“brain within a brain.”
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Recent Neurological Research Regarding Brain Training
My research has shown that reading out loud and performing calculations
quickly are effective for training your brain. The diagrams below and to
the right show functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of the blood
flow in a brain. The red and yellow areas show which parts of the brain are
working. Red indicates the hardest working portions of the brain, while
yellow displays slightly less activity.
A Brain Performing Simple Math
Problems Quickly
Many parts of both hemispheres are
working very hard.
© 2006 Ryuta Kawashima
A Brain Solving Word
Problems Quickly
When solving word problems,
both hemispheres are very active.
© 2006 Ryuta Kawashima
A Brain in Idle Thought
The left hemisphere is working,
but the right hemisphere is hardly
working at all.
A Brain Solving a
Difficult Math Problem
Even when solving a hard problem,
your brain may not be working very
hard.
These diagrams demonstrate that performing simple calculations quickly and
solving word problems maybe effective ways to work your brain.
Based on these results, I conducted a memory test on a wide range of people,
from elementary-school-age children to full-grown adults. My data showed
that subjects who performed simple calculations and read aloud did two to
three times better in tests of memory ability. Also, patients with cognitive
impairment that performed simple calculations and read aloud two to five
times per week were able to prevent the worsening of their condition and
improve the functioning of their prefrontal cortices more than those who had
not done such exercises.
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Training Your Brain with Brain Age
The key to training is sticking with it. This software was designed to work your
brain with simple activities. It will also be fun so you can continue to use and
enjoy it every day! An optimal time to do this training is in the morning, when
your brain should be at its peak level of activity. Take a moment from your free
time each day to complete your training.
Don’t worry!
I’ll be assisting with your
brain training. I’m sure we’ll
work well together!
Modern Equipment Shows That Brain Training Works!
An imaging technology called near-infrared spectroscopy (Figure 1) has
allowed us to investigate the workings of the prefrontal cortex in a person who
is playing brain age. After testing several dozen training programs, we have
selected only those that proved effective for activating the brain (Figure 2).
Figure 1 Figure 2
Measuring blood flow
in the brain.
Chart 1
A three-dimensional image
produced during the examination.
How Is One’s Brain Age Determined?
I took a sample set of 156 people from age
20 to 70 and broke them down into groups of
20. I then evenly dispersed them by age and
adjusted their test results to find the best fit in
a distribution curve (Chart 1). This is the curve
used to calculate your brain’s age when you use
Brain Age 2.
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Nintendo DS System Controls
Please turn your Nintendo DS sideways when playing Brain Age 2.
POWER Switch
START
Press during training to return to the
Menu Screen
Touch Screen
All control is performed via the
Touch Screen.
Left-handed users will be asked to turn
the Nintendo DS system around once
the software starts.
.
Getting Started
Make sure that the DS power is off then, insert the Game Card into the slot
on the back of the system and push until it clicks into place.
Turn the power on and the Health and Safety Screen
shown to the right will appear. Once you have read it,
tap the Touch Screen.
On the Nintendo DS Menu Screen, touch the
panel to progress to the Title Screen.
If your Nintendo DS system is set to AUTO MODE, you
can skip the previous setting process. See the Instruction
Booklet for your Nintendo DS system for more details.
Brain Age 2
Microphone
The microphone is used to detect sound.
LCD Screen
Displays explanations of controls and
training questions.
If you close the DS while the power is on, it will automatically enter a
power-saving Sleep Mode. It will resume normal mode when opened again.
In this software you can choose between
three different languages: English, French, and
Spanish. The language displayed during use of
the software is based on this selection.
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Modes
Follow the instructions and advice on the LCD Screen to progress through
Brain Age 2
LANGUAGE SELECTION
This icon allows you to select one of the
three languages available in this software.
.
LCD Screen Touch Screen
QUICK PLAY
This provides light training for friends
and family.
DAILY TRAINING
Use this mode to check your brain age
and do your everyday training.
SUDOKU
Play over 100 sudoku puzzles on three
difficulty levels.
DOWNLOAD PLAY
• Take part in multiplayer training using
Nintendo DS Wireless Communication.
• Upload the Quick Play version to another
Nintendo DS system.
Saving
This software automatically saves important data such as personal data,
settings, your brain age, and training records. Do not turn the power off when
switching between screens after training or other activities. See page 33 for
details on how to erase personal data.
Daily Training
Your First Training Session
First you must create a personal data file to save your daily records.
A maximum of four different personal data files can be created.
To create a file, touch New Data File and follow the instructions.
Confirm the Date
Confirm that the date and time are accurate. If both
are correct, touch "Yes." If not, touch "No." To change
the date or time, you must first turn the Nintendo DS
system’s power off. See the Instruction Booklet for your
Nintendo DS system for more details.
Writing Hand
Select your writing hand. If you are right-handed,
touch R and proceed to the next step. If you are
left-handed, touch L, then follow the instructions to turn
the Nintendo DS system around.
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