Sunday July 5, 2009, 5:35 pm
The market for brain-training software continues to grow, but evidence of the programs’ ability to boost memory or intelligence in a broadly applicable way (rather than simply making people better at the task they are practicing) remains scarce. New studies offer a tantalizing suggestion that certain programs may work—but the bulk of the research is murky.

Neuroscientist Peter Snyder of Brown University reviewed nearly 20 software studies and concluded that, as a group, they were underwhelming. They are marred by flaws that induce confounding factors, such as a lack of control groups and follow-up, Snyder warns. More than a third of those he reviewed were too shoddy even to include in the analysis he printed early this year in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia. “You’d be surprised at what gets published,” he says. Although some products claimed to treat dementia, Snyder did not find any evidence to back such claims.

One paper, however, exceeded expectations: in a new study Snyder called the “most well-designed” of those he evaluated, the Mayo Clinic tested the Brain Fitness Program by Posit Science. [For a review of this and other programs, see “Brain Trainers,” by Kaspar Mossman; Scientific American Mind, April/May/June 2009.] Encour­agingly, the researchers found that the software boosted the brain in ways unrelated to the training. Rather than simply learning to parrot back what they had practiced, participants improved their test scores across a range of brain functions, says clinical neuropsychologist Glenn Smith, who led the study.

People who used the program bolstered their working memory—the system that holds information in mind momentarily in tasks such as dialing phone numbers—and processing speed, two assets that deteriorate with age........

Sunday July 5, 2009, 5:56 pm
I think they can... so does staying active, learning new stuff, reading.... :) Thanks Karen!

Monday July 6, 2009, 11:56 am
i agree with Jamie, but some of these games are entertaining and educational as well. Thanks Karen, previously noted.

Monday July 6, 2009, 12:50 pm
I know exercise works. Reading on a regular basis( anything) helps too. I say use it or lose it!
Thanks Karen

Monday July 6, 2009, 1:29 pm
I agree with Tierney. I recommend the book SPARK by John J. Ratey, MD, "The revolutionary new science of exercise and the brain."

Tuesday July 7, 2009, 12:15 pm
I'm firmly convinced that brain training can work. Posit Science unfortunately costs $400 which is out of the range of a lot of people. At Mind Sparke we have a very affordable program that brings about wonderful benefits. The training protocol also strengthens working memory, and does it in a very effective way, training both visual and aural working memory at the same time. (This protocol has been proven in several well-regarded research studies.)

Martin Walker
http://mindsparke.com
Effective, Affordable Brain Fitness Software