Given the growing media coverage of brain fitness and brain training, we have produced this compilation of the Top 21 Books that help understand these trends, the research behind them, and the implications for all of us.

For your easy browsing, we have categorized them into seven groups:

1) Fascinating books on neuroplasticity (the ability of the brain to rewire itself through experience):

- Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain: How a New Science Reveals Our Extraordinary Potential to Transform Ourselves - by Sharon Begley.

- The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science - by Norman Doidge.

- The Executive Brain: Frontal Lobes and the Civilized Mind - by Elkhonon Goldberg).

- The Wisdom Paradox: How Your Mind Can Grow Stronger As Your Brain Grows Older - by Elkhonon Goldberg.

2) User-friendly scientific books on the brain:

- Best of the Brain from Scientific American: Mind, Matter, and Tomorrow's Brain by Floyd E. Bloom.

- A User's Guide to the Brain: Perception, Attention, and the Four Theaters of the Brain - by John J. Ratey.

- In Search of Memory: The Emergence of a New Science of Mind - by Eric Kandel.

- Mapping the Mind - by Rita Carter.

- Phantoms in the Brain: Probing the Mysteries of the Human Mind - by V. S. Ramachandran.

- Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers: An Updated Guide To Stress, Stress Related Diseases, and Coping - by Robert M. Sapolsky.

3) On how to apply all this to education and learning:

- Magic Trees of the Mind: How to Nurture Your Child's Intelligence, Creativity, and Healthy Emotions from Birth Through Adolescence - by Marian Diamond and Janet Hopson.

- The Art of Changing the Brain: Enriching the Practice of Teaching by Exploring the Biology of Learning - by James Zull.

- Enriching the Brain: How to Maximize Every Learner's Potential - by Eric Jensen.

4) On how to apply cognitive and positive psychology to solve other real-world problems:

- Thanks: How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier - by Robert Emmons.

- The Beck Diet Solution: Train Your Brain to Think Like a Thin Person - by Judith Beck.

- Enhancing Trader Performance: Proven Strategies From the Cutting Edge of Trading Psychology - by Brett Steenbarger.

5) With a health/medical angle:

- The Brain Trust Program: A Scientifically Based Three-Part Plan - by Larry McCleary.

- The Memory Prescription: Dr. Gary Small's 14-Day Plan to Keep Your Brain and Body Young - by Gary Small.

- Brain Longevity: The Breakthrough Medical Program that Improves Your Mind and Memory - by Dharma Singh Khalsa.

6) Reference manual:

- The Dana Guide to Brain Health: A Practical Family Reference from Medical Experts by Floyd E. Bloom, M. Flint Beal, and David J. Kupfer.

7) Good combination of information and activities:

- Building Mental Muscle: Conditioning Exercises for the Six Intelligence Zones - by David Gamon and Allen D. Bragdon.

Enjoy!