Category: Brain Consensus

1/15/2016 - F.T.C.’s Lumosity Penalty Doesn’t End Brain Training Debate

Lumosity’s ads, seemingly ubiquitous, appeared on television, radio and podcasts. The company purchased hundreds of search engine keywords so that computer users seeking information on dementia, Alzheimer’s and memory would encounter its online ads. Broader questions of whether cognitive training works, and for whom, still generate considerable debate, given that human brains change and grow… Read more 1/15/2016 - F.T.C.’s Lumosity Penalty Doesn’t End Brain Training Debate

1/5/2016 - Lumosity to Pay $2M to Settle FTC Charges Over 'Brain Training' Ads

The company that created the Lumosity “brain training” program has agreed to pay $2 million to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it deceived consumers into believing that its mind games could help users excel at work and school and reduce or delay “cognitive impairment associated with age and other serious health conditions.” Read the… Read more 1/5/2016 - Lumosity to Pay $2M to Settle FTC Charges Over 'Brain Training' Ads

8/11/2015 - Does Anyone Care if “Brain Games” Actually Work?

Debates about brain games’ efficacy have the cognitive fitness industry paying more attention to science — and what it means for business. Read the full article at Fortune.

4/10/2015 - Brain training games: No proof they prevent cognitive decline

Boosting your brain is a booming business, but scientists aren’t sold. Read the full article at CBC News.

12/15/2014 - The Myth of the Brain Game

Puzzles designed to sharpen mental acuity may not actually do much to improve memory or intelligence in the long run. Read the full article at The Atlantic.

12/8/2014 - Can you improve brain health? Scientists weigh in

Is playing fun video games really the answer to the threat of Alzheimer’s? Many scientists think not. According to the Stanford Center on Longevity (SCL) and the Berlin Max Planck Institute for Human Development, there’s no reliable scientific evidence to support the notion that cognitive training can improve overall brain performance. Read the full article… Read more 12/8/2014 - Can you improve brain health? Scientists weigh in

12/2/2014 - Brain Training Doesn’t Make You Smarter

According to a statement released by the Stanford University Center on Longevity and the Berlin Max Planck Institute for Human Development, there is no solid scientific evidence to back up this promise. Signed by 70 of the world’s leading cognitive psychologists and neuroscientists, the statement minces no words: “The strong consensus of this group is… Read more 12/2/2014 - Brain Training Doesn’t Make You Smarter

10/25/2014 - No Proof That 'Brain Training' Games Work, Some Experts Say

Many “brain-training” games may be marketed as a way to boost people’s alertness and intelligence, but scientists are now warning that such claims are not based on actual science. Read the full article at NBC News.

10/23/2014 - Can Video Games Fend Off Mental Decline?

In the commercial world, hyperbole reigns. App stores are littered with brazen claims — Elevate-Brain Training, for example, is “based on extensive research.” Ulman Lindenberger, a director at the Max Planck Institute, recently published a study that found that 100 days of cognitive training yielded a “relatively minor” improvement in working memory. Soon afterward, a… Read more 10/23/2014 - Can Video Games Fend Off Mental Decline?

10/22/2014 - Neuroscientists speak out against brain game hype

Aging baby boomers and seniors would be better off going for a hike than sitting down in front of one of the many video games designed to aid the brain, a group of nearly 70 researchers asserted this week in a critique of some of the claims made by the brain-training industry.  Read the full story at… Read more 10/22/2014 - Neuroscientists speak out against brain game hype