“Brain training apps improve general cognitive function beyond the specific tasks they train.”

Despite advances in mHealth-based cognitive training apps, concerns remain regarding methodological rigor, scientific validity, and evidence base underpinning many commercially available cognitive training apps. Recent reviews have highlighted substantial variability in app quality and the limited methodological rigor and standardization in existing evaluations of cognitive training apps.

This lack of far transfer in the context of significant near transfer has also been demonstrated in a population with mild cognitive impairment. Nonetheless, some brain training studies have even failed to find even “near transfer” effects. Few studies have sought to determine the training timespan that is required to produce transfer effects.

These findings indicated the existence of significant transfer effects to untrained functions and an improvement of subjective wellbeing. Participants assigned to the trained group practiced Lumosity video games designed to improve cognitive abilities, showing transfer to posttest performance relative to pretest.

Eight weeks of multidomain CCT without memory training improved memory function and restored functional network in the hippocampal and medial temporal region in MCI patients. These results can provide evidence for the transferring ability of CCT on memory functioning with its neural basis.

When comparing cognitive and behavioral scores among baseline, week 12, and week 24, mixed model analysis for each cognitive and behavioral score indicated no significant interaction between testing time and group. Significant differences were only observed between active and nonactive MeMo users in two attention tests and apathy measures, suggesting efficacy depends on regular use rather than demonstrating general cognitive improvement.

Researchers from the University of Iowa published one such study in 2019 in The Journals of Gerontology. The researchers found that at the end of the study period, the people in the brain training group were faster at processing information and had better working memory (a measure of how well they could recall information and apply it to tasks), compared with those who played the traditional computer games.

This systematic review and meta-analysis will update the existing knowledge on the effectiveness and key features of digital game-based interventions for cognitive training, with comprehensive analysis in terms of healthy adults across the phases of the adult life span and adults with cognitive impairment. The protocol indicates that existing evidence requires rigorous meta-analytic synthesis to determine true efficacy.

The trained groups did not show significantly greater pretest-to-posttest gains than the control group on any measures in either experiment, except in Experiment 2 the flexibility group significantly outperformed the other two groups on Stroop response time, which is very similar to one of the flexibility games.

Despite early promise, cognitive training research has failed to deliver consistent real-world benefits and questions have been raised about the experimental rigour of many studies. Several meta-analyses have suggested that there is little to no evidence for transfer of training from computerised tasks to real-world skills. This finding adds to the growing body of literature questioning the effectiveness of cognitive training.

The results of these studies suggest that the use of cognitive games could be effective in training cognition if used prior to the onset of cognitive decline. However, the snippet does not specify whether improvements transfer beyond the specific trained tasks.

Brain training reached a turning point in 2025, after years of growing evidence snowballed into an avalanche of scientific proof. A surge of new research about BrainHQ helped erode long-standing skepticism, with a record-breaking 70 peer-reviewed publications in science and medical journals in 2025. These studies reported on BrainHQ's impact on cognition, psychological resilience, physical health, biochemical brain health, and more.

While studies of research-based and commercial platforms have shown improvements in cognitive performance on specific trained tasks, research linking app-based cognitive training to related untrained tasks (ie, near-transfer effects) and real-world functioning (ie, far-transfer effects) is mixed. Meta-analyses have shown that cognitive training tools may lead to improvements beyond the specific tasks trained.

Cognitive training has shown potential in mitigating cognitive decline by engaging in specific exercises targeting various cognitive domains, such as memory, attention, processing speed, and executive function, to stimulate and enhance the connectivity and efficiency of brain neural networks. Studies have shown that mHealth-based cognitive training apps can maintain or improve cognitive performance, especially when incorporating features such as adaptive difficulty levels, gamification, and feedback mechanisms to promote sustained engagement.

The FDA has approved a digital therapeutic that leverages neuroplasticity to treat attention deficits. This app reshapes brain pathways using game-based cognitive training backed by neuroscience. Studies show improvements in attention, working memory, and executive functioning. The app in question is EndeavorRx, the first FDA-approved prescription video game designed to treat pediatric ADHD.

The alleged cognitive benefits of brain training tasks being transferred to other tasks that the users haven't been specifically trained for—but which engage the same psychological processes/brain regions—are yet to be established. Indeed, companies such as Lumosity have been fined by the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) in the US for false advertising regarding the outcomes of their products. A recent study published in Neuropsychologia found that brain training does not generalise, even to very similar tasks.

A new 'brain training' game designed by Cambridge researchers could provide a welcome antidote to the daily distractions that we face in a busy world. All 75 participants were tested at the start of the trial and then after four weeks using the CANTAB Rapid Visual Information Processing test (RVP), which has been demonstrated in previously published studies to be a highly sensitive test of attention/concentration.

According to Lumos Labs, the creators of Lumosity, one of their own studies, consisting of over 4500 participants, found that users showed improvements in working memory, short term memory, processing speed and overall cognitive functioning after taking part in a 10 week-long training programme. Peak has been developed in partnership with a variety of neuroscience academics from institutions including Cambridge University and University College London.

A 2016 review found that brain-training interventions do improve performance on specific trained tasks, but there is less evidence that they improve performance on closely related tasks and little evidence that training improves everyday cognitive performance. The general consensus is that for most brain-training programs, people may get better at specific tasks through practice, but these improvements don't necessarily translate into improvement in other tasks that require other cognitive domains or prevention of dementia or age-related cognitive decline.

Recent meta-analyses summarizing the extent empirical evidence have resolved the apparent lack of consensus in the field and led to a crystal-clear conclusion: The overall effect of far transfer is null, and there is little to no true variability between the types of cognitive training. Despite these conclusions, the field has maintained an unrealistic optimism about the cognitive and academic benefits of cognitive training.

The purpose of this opinion article is to discuss the potential of smartphone applications (apps) for the enhancement of cognitive functions of older people. Opinion pieces present theoretical frameworks rather than empirical evidence of transfer beyond trained tasks.

Improvements rarely transfer to real-world tasks. No evidence of IQ increases. Limited impact on memory improvement outside the app. A major study in The Lancet Psychiatry found that while people improved at the training tasks, these gains didn't translate to better cognitive function in daily life.

The scientists who developed Lumosity used well-known methods of brain training to create daily cognitive games and exercises across areas like memory, attention, problem solving, math and processing speed. This app tracks your progress, interprets your scores and offers insight into your cognition.

The best brain training apps in 2026 combine neuroscience-backed exercises with adaptive difficulty to measurably improve memory, focus, and cognitive performance. A 2023 systematic review in Neuropsychology Review found that computerized cognitive training produces small-to-moderate improvements in working memory, processing speed, and executive function.

In 2025, brain training apps have gone beyond simple puzzles and memory games. They now use AI personalization, neuroscience-backed exercises, and real-time cognitive tracking to boost attention, memory, decision-making, and even emotional resilience.

Although brain training studies are promising, it hasn't shown us that the type of brain training we do — such as playing computer games or even doing crossword puzzles — transfers over to the types of memory challenges we want to get better at, such as remembering names or faces.

A recent real-world study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology seemed to find no benefits of brain training in what's probably the biggest sample to date. Researchers compared over 1000 regular users of brain-training programs with around 7500 non-users on 12 cognitive tests, finding no better results for users regardless of training duration.

Our personalized brain training programs challenge players to answer questions and progress through difficulty levels in over 21 different cognitive domains. They help enhance neuronal connectivity while also improving cognitive functioning and processing speed (Lebowitz et al., 2012).

A 2014 consensus statement signed by over 70 neuroscientists stated there is no compelling evidence that brain training improves general cognitive function beyond trained tasks. Subsequent meta-analyses, such as Sala et al. (2019) in Psychological Bulletin, confirmed limited far transfer effects from brain training apps like Lumosity.

The effectiveness of brain training apps is up for debate. Some research suggests it can improve cognitive skills they're designed for, but the evidence suggests that the skills learned in the app do not translate into real life. The games you play on the application might help improve your ability to respond to challenges within the game faster, but it probably won't increase your ability to multitask on the job, for example.

Over 90% of users notice improvements in vocabulary, memory, math skills, and overall mental sharpness by regularly engaging with our games and exercises. Elevate's brain games, puzzles, and teasers are created with educational experts based on proven educational learning techniques.

Research shows that while users often improve at the specific tasks within the app, those gains rarely translate to real-world thinking. Mastering a pattern game won't help you remember where you left your keys, and quicker reaction times in an app won't necessarily make you a better problem-solver.

More Lumosity training between successive assessments led to greater improvements on the NCPT composite measure and the attentional subscale. Despite improvements in processing speed and attention, the training did not effectively enhance the targeted intelligence components. Lumosity-based cognitive empowerment proves effective for enhancing fluid intelligence in first-grade boys, particularly in attention, reasoning, and processing speed.

The study monitored NCPT performance changes over the course of Lumosity training, allowing researchers to measure 'transfer of learning' – the extent to which training on Lumosity games transfers to performance on distinct cognitive tests. More training invariably led to greater NCPT improvements, consistent across cognitive domains.