BrainHQ and CogniFit Pass the Test
The Alzheimer’s Hub of Hope has four sections: Heroes, Highlights, Headlines and Helpers/Caregivers. This post is aligned to the headlines section.
Many companies offer online programs consisting of games, puzzles and exercises claiming to improve memory, attention, speed of processing, problem solving and other cognitive functions. In fact, I read an article from several years ago that reviewed the pro’s and con's of 18 different products. I suspect the number of products has increased substantially since them.
Do Brain Training Applications Work?
In preparing for this post, I went to the website of a very familiar product that I’ve seen advertised on TV and on the Internet. I suspected this was the industry leader but didn’t really know. The website was very well done, engaging and offered free trials. I was impressed. The free trials were fun; however, the auditor in me prompted me to search the website for claims of effectiveness, independent studies or any type of evidence that validated using the product will improve cognition, slow down cognitive loss or prevent Alzheimer’s. I didn’t find any.
I visited the websites of several other brain training applications and came up with the same results. No evidence of effectiveness. So what gives.
I suspect this has something to do with multiple Federal Trade Commission (FTC) lawsuits of brain training companies including fining one company’s $50 million and ordering that company “not to make any claims that its products can "[improve] performance in school, at work, or in athletics" or "[delay or protect] against age-related decline in memory or other cognitive function, including mild cognitive impairment, dementia, or Alzheimer's disease", or "[reduce] cognitive impairment…”
Essentially the FTC sued the firms for false advertising. No doubt other brain training companies took note of these lawsuits and stepped back their claims unless they had very solid research backed evidence.
Over the years there as been much debate and controversy regarding the effectiveness of these applications. Per Wikipedia:
In 2014, one group of over 70 scientists stated that brain games cannot be scientifically proven as being cognitively advantageous, whether that be in preventing cognitive decline or improving cognitive functioning. Another group argued the opposite, with over 130 scientists saying that there is valid evidence in the benefits of brain training.
They both can’t be right.
In researching this post I’ve seen websites and journal articles that reference one of the 2014 studies but not the other. Even if the author had a strong opinion one way or the other I would think that journalist integrity would at least have a footnote referencing the contradictory research.
BrainHQ and CogniFit Have Evidence Based Results
The same Wikipedia article referenced above included the results of a very thorough research review of brain training programs and concluded only BrainHQ and CogniFit meet the evidence based requirements needed to justify their claims.
In 2017, a group of Australian scientists undertook a systematic review of what studies have been published of commercially available brain training programs in an attempt to give consumers and doctors credible information on which brain training programs are actually scientifically proved to work. After reviewing close to 8,000 studies about brain training programs marketed to healthy older adults, most programs had no peer reviewed published evidence of their efficacy. Of the seven brain training programs that did, only two of those had multiple studies, including at least one study of high quality: BrainHQ and CogniFit.
Both the BrainHQ and CogniFit sites document the research that support their benefits. If I were to use a brain training program I’d feel comfortable using one of these products.
BrainHQ Overview
BrainHQ has references to over 100 research papers on this page. The proven benefits of BrainHQ page is here and documents the benefits, supporting research and examples. I’ve summarized some of the benefits below:
Think Faster
One of the most important goals of BrainHQ training is to speed up your brain’s processing. That’s because quick, accurate processing of information that comes in through hearing, vision, and the other senses affects “higher” cognitive functions—like memory and problem-solving. Dozens of scientific papers have shown BrainHQ exercises improve brain speed.
Future NFL Hall-of-Fame quarterback Tom Brady used BrainHQ to improve his processing speed. As a quarterback he needed to quickly assess the defense and decide where to throw the ball before he gets sacked. The NFL average duration between snapping the ball and getting hit is 2.3 seconds. There is a lot of data processing happening in those 2.3 seconds.
Focus Better
The ability to focus your attention on what matters—and equally important, to ignore what doesn’t—is even more important than you might think. When you can focus your attention on a conversation (while filtering out distracting background noise) and on the visual world around you (so you can quickly spot what you need and dismiss what you don’t), it helps you feel sharp, connected, and on top. What’s more, focusing your attention helps your brain pump chemicals that improve learning and memory. Multiple scientific papers on BrainHQ exercises have shown that training with BrainHQ can improve attention, both by helping you focus and by helping you filter out what doesn’t matter to you.
Remember More
Of all cognitive abilities, memory is one that feels particularly important to many of us. Having a sharp, effective memory makes people more confident—having memory lapses can leave them feeling insecure. More than a dozen scientific studies—conducted by well-regarded researchers at respected universities in a variety of populations—have shown that using BrainHQ exercises can have a substantial impact on memory performance.
BrainHQ also improves the quality of life.
Happier
An upbeat mood is a key ingredient in overall quality of life—more happy days means a better life. BrainHQ exercises are designed to activate systems deep in the brain that send projections across the brain to control brain plasticity and learning—including attention systems (which release a neurochemical called acetylcholine), novelty-detection systems (which release norepinephrine), and reward systems (which release dopamine). All of these systems also influence mood, contributing to overall levels of happiness. A series of publications on how using BrainHQ exercises affects mood have been published.
Healthier
When people have better brain fitness, they can notice the difference in their health-related quality of life. That may be because having a sharper, faster brain can help a person be more engaged in the world.
In Control
Because the brain controls the body—and everything a person does— a better brain can lead to people feeling—and being—more in control of their lives.
BrainHQ offers free daily games for those who register which allows a person to get a feel for how it works by trying it out. I did this and found it easy to register, navigate the games and understand the process. The free trial has most of the features of the paid subscription such as assessing your level of cognition, providing puzzles / games that are difficult (but possible) for a person’s ability and keeping track of previous results.
The secret sauce to BrainIQ effectiveness is assessing a clients cognitive abilities and providing games / puzzles that stretch their competency. If the game is too easy or too hard improvement isn’t obtained.
A monthly subscription is $14 and $96 for a year which provides you with personalized puzzles and access to a 10 week Zoom class to help you get started, stay motivated and learn about brain health.
The BrainHQ website is very robust and you are encouraged to visit it for yourself.
CogniFit Overview
CogniFit’s product offering is much broader than BrainHQ’s and includes 41 assessments that can be purchased by an individual but are often used by medical practitioners and research facilities. These assessments are NOT part of the brain training product that CogniFit offers. Each assessment costs $49 and is very focused and specific with a multiple page report as its deliverable. Some assessments are what you might expect (Concentration Cognitive Assessment) but others are more nuanced and surprising, for example:
the Cognitive Driving Assessment provides you with an assessment of a large number of cognitive skills which you use when driving. In total, more than 10 cognitive skills are measured such as the ability to estimate distances, focus, shifting, visual scanning, and response time.
All of the tests can be found here and I think you will find some of them pretty interesting.
CogniFit also has special products and features that are geared to the medical community above and beyond what I saw with BrainIQ. It is beyond the scope of this post to discuss these but you might find them of interest. Go here and click on “tools for professionals” in the upper right.
CogniFit’s brain training is done through over 60 brain games found here. Like BrainHQ you can register for free to get a feel for how they work and if they’d be useful to you. Per this site:
Brain games can help evaluate and train your mind, your brain, and your cognitive abilities. Taking advantage of the latest research on neuroplasticity, CogniFit has developed specific brain workouts for the various cognitive skills we use in our everyday lives. Through the CogniFit online platform, you will have access to a large number of games and you will be able to select specific training exercises that suit your particular needs.
Play every day and challenge your mind. With just 10 minutes a day, you can keep your brain in shape. Memory, attention, coordination, cognitive flexibility... train as needed. In addition, the training adapts automatically according to your level in a personalized way. At CogniFit we want you to enjoy stimulating your brain.
Be sure to scroll down past the games to read about how the games work, the benefits from playing the games, neuroplasticity and the science behind the games.
You may also want to go here to look at peer reviewed publications supporting their brain training tools.
https://www.lumosity.com/en/