What Is Cognitive Training and Does It Work?

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is Cognitive Training?Potential BenefitsUsesEffectivenessShould You Try Brain Training?How to Improve Brain Fitness

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

What Is Cognitive Training?

Potential Benefits

Uses

Effectiveness

Should You Try Brain Training?

How to Improve Brain Fitness

Cognitive training is an approach that seeks to sharpen or maintain brain functions through the use of regular mental activities. These mental activities are intended to help cognitive abilities such as working memory, executive function, and problem-solving abilities.

There is a long-standing notion that playing brain games, such as puzzles and memorization activities, can help stave off the negative effects of aging. But is the old “use it or lose it” adage really true? Do thesecognitivegames really have any sort of impact onmental functioning?

This training may be beneficial for helping people to maintain and even improve some aspects of cognition. With a large population of aging adults, such improvements could have a significant impact on the mental health and functioning of older adults.

At a Glance

So what can you do to boost your brain fitness? Learning to play an instrument, learning a new language, staying socially engaged, and getting regular exercise are just a few strategies that can help.

Also known as brain training, cognitive training is a non-pharmacological approach that involves following a series of regular mental activities designed to help maintain or even increase a person’s cognitive (thinking) abilities.

In addition to this specific brain training, there are also more general forms of mental training that can help retain or improve mental fitness and cognitive functioning. This more general mental training focuses on keeping the brain “fit,” much the way exercise improves and maintains physical health.

General types of mental training can take a variety of forms, including physical exercise, playing video games, staying socially engaged, and participating in creative pursuits.

Potential Benefits of Cognitive Training

The focus of these activities is to help people become better at things like learning, solving problems, and reasoning. Some of these brain training activities focus on doing things like helping people remember more or improving their ability to focus and pay attention.

Such abilities have obvious uses in daily life. Being able to pay attention may help you focus on a class lecture or complete tasks without getting distracted. Being able to remember more might help you learn new things efficiently or recall the names of new people you meet.

Research has also found that these abilities are strongly linked to things such asintelligence, school achievement, and overall success in life.

Given the importance of these skills, it is perhaps not surprising that researchers have long been interested in knowing if such abilities are malleable.

Uses for Cognitive Training

There are a number of reasons why people might want to try cognitive training.These include:

Mental abilities that tend to decrease with age include processing speed, reaction time,decision making,short-term memory, and planning skills.Brain training may help sharpen these abilities, and it may help reduce the risks of some age-related memory problems.

One 2016 study, for example, found that training focused on improving processing speed reduced the risk for developing dementia a decade later.

There is also hope that some types of brain training may be useful for addressing certain types of impairments or problems. For example, in 2020, the FDA approved a brain training game designed to help treatattention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

The treatment is delivered via a video game that has been shown in several clinical trials to improve attention in children with ADHD. These effects also translated into meaningful improvement in daily functioning after a month of treatment.Such results show the potential that brain training may have.

Effectiveness of Cognitive Training

Researchers have been studying the impact of brain training for decades. However, there continues to be surprisingly little consensus on the effectiveness of cognitive training.

While there is research that supports the idea that specific brain training exercises can improve specific cognitive skills, there are other studies that have arrived at different conclusions.

Despite this lack of agreement in the research, an entire industry of apps, games, and other tools has emerged based on the idea that playing thesebrain gamescan improve your mental abilities.

Do Skills Transfer to the Real World?

And while there is some support for brain training, researchers have also questioned whether the skills gained during these training exercises transfer to real-world activities. In other words, does playing a memory training game really mean you’ll remember what you needed to get at the grocery store?

There is some research that supports the use of brain training and its transferability to daily life and functioning. In one large-scale study, mental training was found to improve the cognitive function of older adults that led to lasting real-world improvements such as recalling when to take their medications.

The potential for such lasting benefits could help older adults maintain their mental abilities and independence as they age.

It’s not just aging brains that stand to benefit from cognitive training. Research also suggests that brain training games can help improveexecutive functionssuch as working memory and processing speed in younger adults as well.

Why Results May Vary

The question, then, is why have some studies supported the positive effects of cognitive training while others have not found such effects? There may be a few factors at work.

There are some things you should remember before trying these websites, games, or apps, however:

A 2016 study compared the effects of the brain-training tool Lumosity to regular video games. The results found that both groups showed improvements in cognitive abilities—but so did other participants who didn’t play any games at all.

The reality is that cognitive training may or may not work, but engaging in mentally stimulating activities is always a good thing.

Finding ways to challenge your brain may help you feel sharper now and protect your brain as you age.

If you want to try more general mental training designed to improve overall brain fitness, you might want to focus on doing mental exercises on your own. Some brain-boosting activities that might be helpful include:

In addition to such cognitive training, there are other things that you can do to help take care of your brain. Activities that can improve your brain health include gettingregular exercise, beingsocially active, andmeditating.

10 Ways to Improve Your Brain Fitness

Takeaway

Cognitive training may have a number of potential benefits, but it is also important to understand the limitations. It may sharpen your skills and help you retain more information, but you shouldn’t expect miraculous improvements.

Such skills may or may not translate to the real world. If nothing else, these brain games can be a fun, challenging way to put your cognitive skills to the test.

Rather than focusing on training for a specific mental ability such as working memory, you might be better off focusing on things that promote long-term brain health and fitness. These include staying physically active,managing your stress, getting plenty of sleep, and maintaining social connections.

7 Brain Exercises to Strengthen Your Mind

12 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Yates LA, Ziser S, Spector A, Orrell M.Cognitive leisure activities and future risk of cognitive impairment and dementia: Systematic review and meta-analysis.International Psychogeriatrics. 2016;28(11):1791-1806. doi:10.1017/S1041610216001137Katz B, Shah P, Meyer DE.How to play 20 questions with nature and lose: Reflections on 100 years of brain-training research.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2018;115(40):9897-9904. doi:10.1073/pnas.1617102114Qiu C, Johansson G, Zhu F, Kivipelto M, Winblad B.Prevention of cognitive decline in old age-varying effects of interventions in different populations.Ann Transl Med. 2019;7(Suppl 3):S142. doi:10.21037/atm.2019.06.19National Institute on Aging.Cognitive health in older adults.Edwards JD, Xu H, Clark DO, Guey LT, Ross LA, Unverzagt FW.Speed of processing training results in lower risk of dementia.Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions. 2017;3(4):603-611. doi:10.1016/j.trci.2017.09.002U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA).FDA permits marketing of first game-based digital therapeutic to improve attention function in children with ADHD.Kollins SH, DeLoss DJ, Cañadas E, et al.A novel digital intervention for actively reducing severity of paediatric ADHD (Stars-adhd): A randomised controlled trial.The Lancet Digital Health. 2020;2(4):e168-e178. doi:10.1016/S2589-7500(20)30017-0Tennstedt SL, Unverzagt FW.The ACTIVE study: Study overview and major findings.J Aging Health. 2013;25(8 Suppl):3S-20S. doi:10.1177/0898264313518133Nouchi R, Taki Y, Takeuchi H, et al.Brain training game boosts executive functions, working memory and processing speed in the young adults: A randomized controlled trial.PLoS ONE. 2013;8(2):e55518. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0055518Hampshire A, Sandrone S, Hellyer PJ.A large-scale, cross-sectional investigation into the efficacy of brain training.Front Hum Neurosci. 2019;13:221. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2019.00221Federal Trade Commission (FTC).Lumosity to pay $2 million to settle FTC deceptive advertising charges for its “brain training” program.Kable JW, Caulfield MK, Falcone M, et al.No effect of commercial cognitive training on brain activity, choice behavior, or cognitive performance.J Neurosci. 2017;37(31):7390-7402. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2832-16.2017

12 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Yates LA, Ziser S, Spector A, Orrell M.Cognitive leisure activities and future risk of cognitive impairment and dementia: Systematic review and meta-analysis.International Psychogeriatrics. 2016;28(11):1791-1806. doi:10.1017/S1041610216001137Katz B, Shah P, Meyer DE.How to play 20 questions with nature and lose: Reflections on 100 years of brain-training research.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2018;115(40):9897-9904. doi:10.1073/pnas.1617102114Qiu C, Johansson G, Zhu F, Kivipelto M, Winblad B.Prevention of cognitive decline in old age-varying effects of interventions in different populations.Ann Transl Med. 2019;7(Suppl 3):S142. doi:10.21037/atm.2019.06.19National Institute on Aging.Cognitive health in older adults.Edwards JD, Xu H, Clark DO, Guey LT, Ross LA, Unverzagt FW.Speed of processing training results in lower risk of dementia.Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions. 2017;3(4):603-611. doi:10.1016/j.trci.2017.09.002U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA).FDA permits marketing of first game-based digital therapeutic to improve attention function in children with ADHD.Kollins SH, DeLoss DJ, Cañadas E, et al.A novel digital intervention for actively reducing severity of paediatric ADHD (Stars-adhd): A randomised controlled trial.The Lancet Digital Health. 2020;2(4):e168-e178. doi:10.1016/S2589-7500(20)30017-0Tennstedt SL, Unverzagt FW.The ACTIVE study: Study overview and major findings.J Aging Health. 2013;25(8 Suppl):3S-20S. doi:10.1177/0898264313518133Nouchi R, Taki Y, Takeuchi H, et al.Brain training game boosts executive functions, working memory and processing speed in the young adults: A randomized controlled trial.PLoS ONE. 2013;8(2):e55518. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0055518Hampshire A, Sandrone S, Hellyer PJ.A large-scale, cross-sectional investigation into the efficacy of brain training.Front Hum Neurosci. 2019;13:221. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2019.00221Federal Trade Commission (FTC).Lumosity to pay $2 million to settle FTC deceptive advertising charges for its “brain training” program.Kable JW, Caulfield MK, Falcone M, et al.No effect of commercial cognitive training on brain activity, choice behavior, or cognitive performance.J Neurosci. 2017;37(31):7390-7402. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2832-16.2017

Yates LA, Ziser S, Spector A, Orrell M.Cognitive leisure activities and future risk of cognitive impairment and dementia: Systematic review and meta-analysis.International Psychogeriatrics. 2016;28(11):1791-1806. doi:10.1017/S1041610216001137Katz B, Shah P, Meyer DE.How to play 20 questions with nature and lose: Reflections on 100 years of brain-training research.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2018;115(40):9897-9904. doi:10.1073/pnas.1617102114Qiu C, Johansson G, Zhu F, Kivipelto M, Winblad B.Prevention of cognitive decline in old age-varying effects of interventions in different populations.Ann Transl Med. 2019;7(Suppl 3):S142. doi:10.21037/atm.2019.06.19National Institute on Aging.Cognitive health in older adults.Edwards JD, Xu H, Clark DO, Guey LT, Ross LA, Unverzagt FW.Speed of processing training results in lower risk of dementia.Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions. 2017;3(4):603-611. doi:10.1016/j.trci.2017.09.002U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA).FDA permits marketing of first game-based digital therapeutic to improve attention function in children with ADHD.Kollins SH, DeLoss DJ, Cañadas E, et al.A novel digital intervention for actively reducing severity of paediatric ADHD (Stars-adhd): A randomised controlled trial.The Lancet Digital Health. 2020;2(4):e168-e178. doi:10.1016/S2589-7500(20)30017-0Tennstedt SL, Unverzagt FW.The ACTIVE study: Study overview and major findings.J Aging Health. 2013;25(8 Suppl):3S-20S. doi:10.1177/0898264313518133Nouchi R, Taki Y, Takeuchi H, et al.Brain training game boosts executive functions, working memory and processing speed in the young adults: A randomized controlled trial.PLoS ONE. 2013;8(2):e55518. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0055518Hampshire A, Sandrone S, Hellyer PJ.A large-scale, cross-sectional investigation into the efficacy of brain training.Front Hum Neurosci. 2019;13:221. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2019.00221Federal Trade Commission (FTC).Lumosity to pay $2 million to settle FTC deceptive advertising charges for its “brain training” program.Kable JW, Caulfield MK, Falcone M, et al.No effect of commercial cognitive training on brain activity, choice behavior, or cognitive performance.J Neurosci. 2017;37(31):7390-7402. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2832-16.2017

Katz B, Shah P, Meyer DE.How to play 20 questions with nature and lose: Reflections on 100 years of brain-training research.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2018;115(40):9897-9904. doi:10.1073/pnas.1617102114

Qiu C, Johansson G, Zhu F, Kivipelto M, Winblad B.Prevention of cognitive decline in old age-varying effects of interventions in different populations.Ann Transl Med. 2019;7(Suppl 3):S142. doi:10.21037/atm.2019.06.19

National Institute on Aging.Cognitive health in older adults.

Edwards JD, Xu H, Clark DO, Guey LT, Ross LA, Unverzagt FW.Speed of processing training results in lower risk of dementia.Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions. 2017;3(4):603-611. doi:10.1016/j.trci.2017.09.002

U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA).FDA permits marketing of first game-based digital therapeutic to improve attention function in children with ADHD.

Kollins SH, DeLoss DJ, Cañadas E, et al.A novel digital intervention for actively reducing severity of paediatric ADHD (Stars-adhd): A randomised controlled trial.The Lancet Digital Health. 2020;2(4):e168-e178. doi:10.1016/S2589-7500(20)30017-0

Tennstedt SL, Unverzagt FW.The ACTIVE study: Study overview and major findings.J Aging Health. 2013;25(8 Suppl):3S-20S. doi:10.1177/0898264313518133

Nouchi R, Taki Y, Takeuchi H, et al.Brain training game boosts executive functions, working memory and processing speed in the young adults: A randomized controlled trial.PLoS ONE. 2013;8(2):e55518. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0055518

Hampshire A, Sandrone S, Hellyer PJ.A large-scale, cross-sectional investigation into the efficacy of brain training.Front Hum Neurosci. 2019;13:221. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2019.00221

Federal Trade Commission (FTC).Lumosity to pay $2 million to settle FTC deceptive advertising charges for its “brain training” program.

Kable JW, Caulfield MK, Falcone M, et al.No effect of commercial cognitive training on brain activity, choice behavior, or cognitive performance.J Neurosci. 2017;37(31):7390-7402. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2832-16.2017

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At a Glance#

Potential Benefits of Cognitive Training#

Uses for Cognitive Training#

Effectiveness of Cognitive Training#

Do Skills Transfer to the Real World?#

Why Results May Vary#

Takeaway#