The Proven Benefits of BrainHQ

Rewires the Brain

BrainHQ is designed to work through brain plasticity—the process by which the brain physically changes through learning, experience, and training. Making these physical changes to the brain is key to improved brain performance.

Every BrainHQ exercise challenges the brain’s speed and accuracy of information processing. Using smart adaptive algorithms, each exercise ensures that the challenge stays at a level just right for driving brain change—not too easy, but not too hard. The result is that BrainHQ exercises rewire the brain, improving brain activation, timing, and connectivity between different brain regions.

A green and blue cogwheel next to each other

Activation

Scientists can measure brain activation in response to things we hear, see, or do using a variety of advanced brain imaging techniques, including functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG). Stronger brain activation generally means that the brain is doing more—more seeing, hearing, remembering, and thinking. A number of studies have shown that BrainHQ exercises increase activation of brain regions related to specific cognitive functions.

Key examples include:

The IMPACT Study, showing that using BrainHQ exercises led to an average increase in auditory processing speed of 135%. A follow-up study showed that this benefit was largely retained three months later, with no further training.
The ACTIVE Study, showing a significant improvement in visual processing speed with training. Follow-ups showed that people retained a substantial amount of the speed benefit five and even ten years later, especially if they did some short “booster” sessions on occasion.
The IHAMS Study, demonstrating that BrainHQ training drove significantly better improvements than crossword puzzle training in several key measures of processing speed.
A study showing that BrainHQ training improves a key measure of processing speed significantly more than ordinary cognitive stimulation using educational videos and quizzes.

Connectivity

The brain is made up of a network of more than a 100 billion neurons with each one having approximately 1,000 connections to others. So it matters how well neurons are connected to each other, and how well brain regions are connected to each other. Researchers can see how well brain regions are connected using a variety of advanced brain imaging techniques.

Key studies that show that BrainHQ training improves connectivity across brain regions include:

A brain imaging study showing improvement in the white matter insulation between brain regions specialized for visual and attention processing, suggesting better connectivity between these important brain regions.
Several brain imaging studies (study 1, study 2) showing improved connectivity of multiple brain networks, including the central executive network (involved in problem-solving and working memory) and the salience network (involved in identifying what’s important and dismissing what is not).
An EEG study documenting improved brain synchronization following BrainHQ training—suggesting different parts of the brain are working better together.

A clock with an arrow in the middle of it

Timing

Scientists can also use advanced techniques to measure the speed at which information flows through the brain. Faster information processing can lead to quicker thinking, better memory, and faster reaction time.

Key studies include:

An EEG study indicating that BrainHQ training led to faster neural timing and a more synchronized neural response to speech—which can help people understand faster speech.
An EEG study showing a better neural response to speech in noisy environments.

Sharpens Cognitive Function

By rewiring the brain through brain plasticity, and improving the speed and accuracy of information flow through the brain, BrainHQ exercises are designed to improve the quality of information that reaches the brain’s memory, attention, and thinking centers. In this way, BrainHQ sharpens cognitive function, helping people think faster, focus better, and remember more.

Think Faster

One of the most important goals of BrainHQ training is to speed up your brain’s processing. That’s because quick, accurate processing of information that comes in through hearing, vision, and the other senses affects “higher” cognitive functions—like memory and problem-solving. Dozens of scientific papers have shown BrainHQ exercises improve brain speed.

Key studies include:

The IMPACT Study, showing that using BrainHQ exercises led to an average increase in auditory processing speed of 135%. A follow-up study showed that this benefit was largely retained three months later, with no further training.
The ACTIVE Study, showing a significant improvement in visual processing speed with training. Follow-ups showed that people retained a substantial amount of the speed benefit five and even ten years later, especially if they did some short “booster” sessions on occasion.
The IHAMS Study, demonstrating that BrainHQ training drove significantly better improvements than crossword puzzle training in several key measures of processing speed.
A study showing that BrainHQ training improves a key measure of processing speed significantly more than ordinary cognitive stimulation using educational videos and quizzes.

Focus Better

The ability to focus your attention on what matters—and equally important, to ignore what doesn’t—is even more important than you might think. When you can focus your attention on a conversation (while filtering out distracting background noise) and on the visual world around you (so you can quickly spot what you need and dismiss what you don’t), it helps you feel sharp, connected, and on top. What’s more, focusing your attention helps your brain pump chemicals that improve learning and memory. Multiple scientific papers on BrainHQ exercises have shown that training with BrainHQ can improve attention, both by helping you focus and by helping you filter out what doesn’t matter to you.

Key studies include:

A study documenting improvements in people’s ability to notice targets in their peripheral vision.
A study showing that training enhanced people’s ability to focus on relevant information while ignoring distractions.
A study finding that BrainHQ exercises reduced distraction-related errors, which improved overall attentional performance.

A person with a thought bubble with gears coming out of it

Remember More

Of all cognitive abilities, memory is one that feels particularly important to many of us. Having a sharp, effective memory makes people more confident—having memory lapses can leave them feeling insecure. More than a dozen scientific studies—conducted by well-regarded researchers at respected universities in a variety of populations—have shown that using BrainHQ exercises can have a substantial impact on memory performance.

Key studies include:

The IMPACT study, showing that people doing BrainHQ exercises experienced an average improvement in an overall measure of memory that was more than four times larger than a control group doing ordinary adult educational activities.
A study finding that BrainHQ exercises enhanced working memory by reducing distractibility and improving attention.
A study documenting that BrainHQ training in combination with physical exercise improved episodic memory—the memory for specific events in life, such as a first day of school or a special party.

Improves Everyday Life

By sharpening cognitive function, BrainHQ can improve the quality of everyday life. That’s because when people can think faster, focus better, and remember more, they are able to stay happier, healthier, and in control over important aspects of life.

A person sitting in the middle of a circle

Happier

An upbeat mood is a key ingredient in overall quality of life—more happy days means a better life. BrainHQ exercises are designed to activate systems deep in the brain that send projections across the brain to control brain plasticity and learning—including attention systems (which release a neurochemical called acetylcholine), novelty-detection systems (which release norepinephrine), and reward systems (which release dopamine). All of these systems also influence mood, contributing to overall levels of happiness. A series of publications on how using BrainHQ exercises affects mood have been published.

Key studies include:

The ACTIVE Study, showing that people who used BrainHQ training were 30% less likely to experience an increase in depressive symptoms, and that those who began training without significant depressive symptoms had a 38% lower risk of developing them in the year following training.
A study documenting equivalent reductions in depressive symptoms in people using BrainHQ exercises compared to people using in-person goal management training.
Two studies (study 1, study 2) showing that BrainHQ training (in combination with additional training exercises in development) significantly improved depressive symptoms.

Healthier

When people have better brain fitness, they can notice the difference in their health-related quality of life. That may be because having a sharper, faster brain can help a person be more engaged in the world.

Key results on BrainHQ include:

A pair of publications showing that people who did BrainHQ training were substantially protected against declines in overall health-related quality of life two years later compared to a control group, and still experienced significant reduction in the risk of decline even five years later.
A publication documenting that training improved self-rated health—a key measure of quality of life—compared to a control group.
An analysis showing that that predicted medical expenditures, as calculated by a model developed by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, was ~3.5% lower in the group that used BrainHQ training compared to a control group.

In Control

Because the brain controls the body—and everything a person does— a better brain can lead to people feeling—and being—more in control of their lives.

Key results on BrainHQ include:

A significant number of studies showing that BrainHQ training improves driving safety— being in control behind the wheel. Having a faster, more accurate brain helps people notice hazards on the road and react to them more quickly and confidently. Studies have shown that training with BrainHQ can help people brake more quickly, make 38% fewer dangerous driving maneuvers, and cut at-fault car crashes by 48%—all of which add up to driving more confidently for longer.
Several studies (study 1, study 2) showing that training improves standardized measures of balance and fall risk, helping people stay in control of their bodies. And one study showed that people at higher risk for falls reduced the chance that they would fall by 30% after BrainHQ training. Why? Because a sharper brain may help a person notice that they are off balance and react more quickly.
A number of studies (study 1, study 2) showing that BrainHQ training leads to people performing ordinary activities (such as reading a medication label, or looking a number up in a phone book) more quickly and accurately, and that training provides a significant level of protection against declines in these “instrumental activities of daily living” over five and even ten years. These skills are essential to people staying independent, in their own homes, and in control of their lives later in life.
Two studies (published as a single scientific paper) showing that using BrainHQ improved word finding (which scientists call “verbal fluency,” and many think of as finding words “on the tip of the tongue”)—and two more studies (study 1, study 2) showing that BrainHQ improved hearing in noisy environments—which together can help people be more in control and confident in conversations.
And to sum up—a study showing that people who trained with BrainHQ felt more confident in their everyday activities on average (in comparison to those in a control group)—and the differences persisted five years after training.