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Feeling ‘brain drain’? The university’s Healthy Workplace Committee shares nine apps you can use to keep your cognitive functions in shape:

• : This app is split into sessions of three games tailored to your goals: memory, attention, problem solving, processing speed or flexibility of thinking. You play the games against the clock, and they change every time. Users can track progress and compare performance with others. Free for limited access; upgrade for $15 a month or $80 a year; available for iPhone Operating System (iOS).
• Improve cognitive abilities, such as memory and concentration, with these sleek, fun games designed by neuroscientists. Users can track progress and access insights about overall brain health. Competitive players can challenge friends, too. After an initial quiz, the app adapts each game’s difficulty to your profile and gives you recommendations based on your results. Free for four games or full subscription for $13 a month or $120; available for iOS.
• Players follow two animated characters (one calm/friendly, and the other angry-looking) as they burrow through a field of rustling grass. The game reduces anxiety and builds resilience by training your brain to focus more on the positive and less on the negative. Free; available for iOS.
• This Android app contains games for memorizing letter sequences, phone numbers and solving assorted math problems to keep your mind in tip-top shape. Difficulty levels range from easy to brain-tingling difficult. Free; available on Google Play.
• This app employs a series of memory-training exercises to increase focus, memory and problem-solving skills. $4; available for iOS.
• : Research shows some activities help build your ability to conquer negative thoughts, show gratitude, cope with stress, and empathize. Using fundamentals of positive psychology, the app’s quizzes, polls and gratitude journal, combined with a positive community, gradually teach life-changing habits. Free; available for iOS.
  
• This app was originally developed for service members returning from combat with high risk for post-traumatic stress disorder. It uses augmented reality with an Android phone’s GPS to find nearby activities and diversions for someone coping with depression. If you cannot make up your mind what to do, ‘pull the lever’ and let the app’s jackpot function make the choice for you. The app is based on pleasant event scheduling, a form of behavioural therapy encourages a daily schedule of enjoyable activities to improve moods and overcome despondent thoughts. Free; available on Google Play.
• : This app uses a technique called spaced repetition to help you memorize anything from important phone numbers to interesting words or facts. It works differently from typical brain training apps by using items that have meaning and context. Notifications remind you when it’s time to test yourself; tests are spaced out over time to make sure you retain the information in your long-term memory. Free; available on iOS.
• : This award-winning app was developed for suicide prevention but it can be used as a general mood tracker. It also includes teaches coping techniques through voice-recorded mindfulness and relaxation exercises, or relaxing music. The map locator pinpoints nearby therapists, support groups and mental-health treatment facilities, in case you ever need to talk to a professional.