"Brain Optimization" Claims

Claim by claim

1. Brain games make you smarter

   mixed, leaning to insufficient evidence for everyday benefit

   Gains on trained tasks; little evidence of transfer to distantly related tasks or everyday life

2. Brain stimulation improves memory

   insufficient evidence

   Few controlled studies of everyday benefit; trade-offs reported; safety unknowns outside supervised studies

3. Brain-wave scores show your focus

   marketing claim

   Consumer signal quality varies; scores are proprietary

4. A supplement or "smart drug" enhances thinking

   insufficient evidence

   Small effects for some prescription stimulants in healthy adults; none established for supplements

Brain games

A large review of the studies cited by brain-training companies found extensive evidence of improvement on the trained tasks, less on closely related tasks, and little on distantly related tasks or everyday cognition. Many studies had design flaws, and none met all the best practices the authors set out. [2]

Marketing has been challenged in the US. In 2016 the Federal Trade Commission announced a settlement with the maker of Lumosity. The FTC alleged the company claimed its games could improve performance in school, at work and in athletics and could delay age-related decline, and the order required competent and reliable scientific evidence for future claims. These are the agency's allegations, not court findings. [3]

The National Institute on Aging advises beware of claims that certain computer and online games improve memory and thinking, saying there is not enough evidence that commercial brain-training apps have the same effect as the training in the ACTIVE trial. [1] See also Do Brain Training Games Work? and Cognitive Training and Brain-Game Claims.

Brain stimulation

Reviews of electrical stimulation describe supervised safety data, not proven everyday benefit. In one experiment, enhancement of one cognitive skill came at the expense of another. [4] FDA's general wellness guidance lists a neurostimulation product that claims to improve memory as an example that is not low risk. [5] Details are in Electrical-Stimulation Risks.

Brain-wave scores

Consumer EEG signal quality differs between devices. [6] Scores such as "focus" are calculated by the maker, and a review of low-cost EEG studies found many were low-powered and rarely validated on independent data. [7] See Consumer EEG Interpretation Limits.

Supplements and drugs

The National Institute on Aging states that no vitamin or supplement is currently recommended for preventing Alzheimer's or other cognitive decline. [1] A meta-analysis of modafinil, methylphenidate and d-amphetamine in healthy adults found small effects in specific areas of thinking and concluded that user perception that they are effective enhancers is not supported by the evidence so far. [8] These are prescription medicines with risks and legal restrictions; see Cognitive Enhancement Substances: Where the Guides Live.

What is left

• Sleep. Adults are generally advised to get enough sleep; NIA suggests seven to nine hours a night for brain health. [1] See Sleep.
• Physical activity and managing conditions. NIA lists exercise and managing high blood pressure, diabetes and depression among steps that may help cognitive health. [1]
• Diet. The evidence is mixed: Mediterranean and MIND diets have been linked to lower dementia risk in observational studies, but a clinical trial found only small improvements similar to a control diet. [1] See Foods for Brain Health.

Questions to ask

Does the claim name a measurable outcome, such as a test in people like me? Was it tested in randomized trials, not just before-and-after scores? Who paid? Is the claim about the trained task or about daily life? See How to Read Health Product Marketing Claims and Neuroplasticity Claims.

If memory or thinking is changing, see a clinician; see Memory Changes: When to Get Help.