Enhancing Cognitive Abilities with Comprehensive Training: A Large, Online, Randomized, Active-Controlled Trial.
BACKGROUND
A variety of studies have demonstrated gains in cognitive ability following cognitive training interventions. However, other studies have not shown such gains, and questions remain regarding the efficacy of specific cognitive training interventions. Cognitive training research often involves programs made up of just one or a few exercises, targeting limited and specific cognitive endpoints. In addition, cognitive training studies typically involve small samples that may be insufficient for reliable measurement of change. Other studies have utilized training periods that were too short to generate reliable gains in cognitive performance.


METHODS
The present study evaluated an online cognitive training program comprised of 49 exercises targeting a variety of cognitive capacities. The cognitive training program was compared to an active control condition in which participants completed crossword puzzles. All participants were recruited, trained, and tested online (N = 4,715 fully evaluable participants). Participants in both groups were instructed to complete one approximately 15-minute session at least 5 days per week for 10 weeks.


RESULTS
Participants randomly assigned to the treatment group improved significantly more on the primary outcome measure, an aggregate measure of neuropsychological performance, than did the active control group (Cohen's d effect size = 0.255; 95% confidence interval = [0.198, 0.312]). Treatment participants showed greater improvements than controls on speed of processing, short-term memory, working memory, problem solving, and fluid reasoning assessments. Participants in the treatment group also showed greater improvements on self-reported measures of cognitive functioning, particularly on those items related to concentration compared to the control group (Cohen's d = 0.249; 95% confidence interval = [0.191, 0.306]).


CONCLUSIONS
Taken together, these results indicate that a varied training program composed of a number of tasks targeted to different cognitive functions can show transfer to a wide range of untrained measures of cognitive performance.


BACKGROUND
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT-02367898.
Department of Research and Development, Lumos Labs, San Francisco, California, United States of America.
Joseph L
JL
Hardy
Department of Psychology, Wheaton College, Norton, Massachusetts, United States of America.
Rolf A
RA
Nelson
Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute for Child and Family Development, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, United States of America; Department of Pediatrics, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan, United States of America.
Moriah E
ME
Thomason
Department of Research and Development, Lumos Labs, San Francisco, California, United States of America.
Daniel A
DA
Sternberg
Department of Research and Development, Lumos Labs, San Francisco, California, United States of America.
Kiefer
K
Katovich
Department of Research and Development, Lumos Labs, San Francisco, California, United States of America.
Faraz
F
Farzin
Department of Research and Development, Lumos Labs, San Francisco, California, United States of America.
Michael
M
Scanlon
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011214:Practice, Psychological; D011340:Problem Solving / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult