Commercial Brain Training Programs

There has been a heated debate among health professionals and brain experts around the world regarding the effectiveness of brain training programs such as NeuroNation or Lumosity. Most brain training programs claim to improve human intelligence as well as boost cognitive skills such as processing speed, attention and memory. Some even claim to be effective in the treatment of various brain conditions such as dementia, ADHD, traumatic brain injury, chemo brain as well as dyslexia. However, a recent study has revealed that most of the alleged health benefits of the programs are as a result of a placebo effect.

According to the study, most participants that followed up the IQ tests performed 5 to 10 points better than those who were unaware of the possible brain boosting abilities of the exercise. This indicated a strong link between the placebo effect of the exercise and the positive results. During the study, the participants were separated into two main groups. The first group was issued with fliers that specifically promoted a cognitive and brain training enhancement while the other group were given fliers that mentioned nothing on brain training and its benefits. Instead, the researchers offered to credit the participants for taking part in the study. After completing a preliminary IQ test and an hour long brain training session, the participants who knew about the brain training benefits recorded significantly higher points than those who participated, unaware of the brain health benefits of the exercise.

Though it would be difficult to prove how placebo effect improved the IQ scores of the first group, researchers are convinced that the participants felt more confident and motivated when taking the intelligence tests. However, Lumosity developers, Lumo Labs, believe that the researchers avoided the real training effect of the program and attempted to invalidate the numerous previous studies on cognitive training that showed significant training effects on a human brain. The company noted that the brain training industry was working towards developing standards for upcoming research.

Other brain training researchers believe that the findings of the study were important, as they would assist in shaping future studies. They believe that despite the numerous benefits on a person’s brain, most brain training researchers have not yet developed measures to control the potential placebo effect of their programs. Besides the training programs, researchers have also shown the need to accompany them with other things for better results. For instance, studies have revealed that puzzles and challenging games, taking a healthy diet, exercises, stress management and good sleep can also help to sharpen your brain.

Today, extra caution is required when trying out most of the brain training programs available, since they lacked sufficient information regarding their effectiveness in improving cognitive ability. According to Gazzaley, a neurology professor, these programs require advanced rigorous validation as well as careful development to make them powerful approaches to boost the brain. In addition, rather than relying on the various brain-training programs to challenge your brain, some researchers recommend that it would be better of engaging in activities that you truly enjoy such as filling a Sudoku, crossword puzzles or other challenging games.