When Brain Training Works and When It Does Not

There are thousands of brain training apps and games on the market, and some multi-billion dollar brain training providers. The key problem is how to filter through them and commit to training with those that work. Here we review what criteria to look at to ensure that your brain training works.

An authoritative study published in the scientific journal Nature has recently shown that the more popular brain training apps such as Lumosity do not improve general cognitive ability. Skills on the specific exercises improve with practice, but these exercises do not result in general improvements in brain function. The study concluded:

There were absolutely no transfer effects…I think the expectation that practising a broad range of cognitive tasks to get yourself smarter is completely unsupported.  Adrien Owen, Ph.D

Here we review the minimal conditions need to be met for brain training to be effective.

Key Concept: Brain Training Transfer

Does brain training work? Brain training only works when it results in transfer from the computer game to real cognitive benefits in daily life.

“The most crit­i­cal fac­tor in deter­min­ing whether a brain train­ing method or pro­gram works is the extent to which the train­ing effects “trans­fer” to ben­e­fits in daily life.”

The evidence strongly indicates that most brain training apps merely develop skills in the game itself, like skills on any computer game, without transferring to general cognitive benefits such as IQ, emotional regulation or decision-making.

5 Criteria for Effective Brain Training

According to the authoritative consumer research group Sharpbrains, transfer only occurs when brain training meets 5 conditions (the quotes are from this article):

• 1. Core brain training. To ensure broad cognitive transfer, the training must “exer­cise a core brain-based capac­ity or neural cir­cuit iden­ti­fied to be rel­e­vant to real-life out­comes, such as exec­u­tive atten­tion, work­ing mem­ory, speed of pro­cess­ing and emo­tional reg­u­la­tion”.  Core brain capacities are the basis of wide-ranging cognitive health and performance outcomes in real life.
• 2. It must target a performance bottleneck. The brain’s core neural circuits include working memory, IQ, emotion regulation, processing speed and decision making. Different brain training apps train different core functions. You need to identify which of these is your ‘cognitive bottleneck’ and choose an app that targets that bottleneck.
• 3. A min­i­mum “dose” of 15 hours total, per­formed over 8 weeks or less, is nec­es­sary for real improve­ment. “Train­ing only a few hours across a wide vari­ety of brain func­tions…should not be expected to trig­ger real-world ben­e­fits, in the same way that going to the gym a cou­ple times per month and doing an assort­ment of undi­rected exer­cises can­not be expected to result in increased mus­cle strength and phys­i­cal fitness.”
• 4. Train­ing must adapt to per­for­mance and increase in dif­fi­culty. Like good games, training should be motivating, becoming more challenging as you improve with practice, absorbing your full attention.
• 5. Con­tin­ued prac­tice is required for con­tin­ued ben­e­fits. “While the min­i­mum dose described above may act as a thresh­old to start see­ing some ben­e­fits, con­tin­ued prac­tice, either at a reduced num­ber of hours or as a peri­odic “booster,” is a final con­di­tion for trans­fer to real-world ben­e­fits over time.”

If you have had experience with any brain training apps, ask yourself whether these minimal conditions have been met. For many brain training providers, it is clear that one or more of these conditions are not met. Not even close.

HighIQPro Meets The 5 Criteria

HighIQPro squarely meet the 5 minimal conditions for effective brain training, ensuring transfer to real world cognitive benefits.

1. Core Working Memory Training

HighIQPro trains working memory. Working memory is a core neural circuit underlying multiple brain functions. Here is a BrainScanr graph showing just how central working memory is to attention, learning, memory and executive functioning – all of which underlie intelligence (IQ) (BrainScanr depicts relationships between neuroscience terms in peer reviewed publications – you can try different terms for yourself.)

HighIQPro expands working memory capacity.  Working memory can be understood as our ‘mental workspace’. The larger your mental workspace, the more you can process for comprehension, problem solving, reasoning, planning & decision-making. Working memory training can also help improve attention-related disorders such as ADHD, dyslexia & ASD.

Multiple peer-reviewed studies have confirmed the effective transfer of core working memory training for a wide range of cognitive functions.

An independent scientific review on the effectiveness of working memory training can be found here.

2. IQ ‘Core Circuit’ Bottlenecks

HighIQPro trains a core brain circuit bottleneck for IQ.

HighIQPro is designed to train general problem solving ability.  It targets working memory’s fronto-parietal circuit. This is also known as the cognitive control network and is involved in a wide range of wide range of cognitive functions  including general intelligence.

3. 10-15 Hours Basic Training

HighIQPro training requires at least 20 minutes brain training a day over 20 daily Sessions spread out over 4-6 weeks. The training can be done all in one session or divided between morning and evening sessions. This is the basic training program and is required for the IQ gains guarantee. We find that in fact 10 hours is the minimum training required for transfer effects and long-term brain function gains – but many HighIQPro users train for 15 hours or more.

This condition for effective brain training requires a serious commitment. Without this kind of time commitment, brain training is little more than an exercise in vanity – or at best, like playing computer games or game apps on your mobile device. Serious brain training is like going to the gym – it requires work over several weeks to lose weight and build core strength. But the long term benefits make it well worth the investment.

4. Adaptive Brain Training 

HighIQPro utilizes the adaptive training principle. This means that as you improve with practice, the game tracks your progress and increases the difficulty level. If you have an off-day, the game will adapt to this, and ensure the training is easier. This ensures that your training is always in ‘the zone’ –  always challenging, absorbing your full attention, neither too easy nor too difficult.

5. Long Term Neuroplasticity Change & Continued Practice

Your foundational 20 sessions of training results in long term neuroplasticity change in your fronto-parietal working memory circuit.

There is evidence that the IQ gains can last six months after training, without any continued training. But just like when you build core strength at a gym over a more intensive month of training, to maintain the strength gains, you will need to either continue training at a lower intensity (e.g. 1-2 hours a week), or have a peri­odic “booster,” – say every 3-4 months. This is the final con­di­tion for trans­fer to permanent brain training ben­e­fits in real life.