App-based mental exercises improve cognitive impairment

Those with amnestic mild cognitive impairment who used the BrainHQ app for visual speed and attention exercises improved neuropsychological measures of speed, attention, memory and connectivity.

Amnestic mild cognitive impairment is a sub-classification of those with mild cognitive impairment who show significant memory impairment and are among the highest at risk for Alzheimer’s disease.

Quanjing Chen, PhD, MS, a postdoctoral researcher at University of Rochester, and colleagues enrolled 84 patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment. Chen and colleagues randomized them into an intervention group who used the BrainHQ app from Posit Science and an active control group who played brain-stimulating games, such as sudoku or solitaire.

Each group was asked to engage in their activities for 1 hour, four times a week, for 6 weeks. Compared with the control group, the intervention group showed significant improvement in standard measures of speed, attention and working memory.

“It was not long ago that the consensus was there’s little to be done for patients with [mild cognitive impairment],” Henry Mahncke, PhD, CEO of Posit Science, said in a company-issued press release. “Fortunately, that consensus is changing.”

According to the release, more than 100 published studies have shown the benefits of the BrainHQ app, and it has shown gains in standard measures of cognition and quality of life. BrainHQ is now offered through Medicare Advantage plus.

Reference:

Chen Q, et al. Neuroimage. 2022;doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119124.