the science behind lumosity v2.2

8/20/2019 The Science Behind Lumosity v2.2

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The ScienceBehind Lumosity

VERSION 2

Joseph Hardy

Faraz Farzin

Michael Scanlon


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October 23, 2013 | © 2013 Lumos Labs, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Table of Contents

Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................... 2

The Incredible Changing Brain .......................................................................................................... . 3

Behavior Changes the Brain ..................................................................................................... 3

Training Can Improve Cognitive Performance ...................................................................... 4

The Lumosity Product ........................................................................................................................... 7

Exercises ....................................................................................................................................... 7

Assessments ................................................................................................................................ 9

Training Components .............................................................................................................. 10

The Lumosity Research Platform ...................................................................................................... 11

Scientific Research with Lumosity ......................................................................................... 11

Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................ 19

References ............................................................................................................................................ 20

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Executive Summary

Until quite recently, most scientists believed that

core aspects of cognition were essentially fixed from

a young age, with little or no room for improvement.

Capacities like memory, attention and sensory

processing were thought to be largely permanent

after a relatively brief period of development during

early childhood. In this worldview, those who were

endowed with strong cognitive capacities through

genetics and early development were destined to

operate at a high level throughout much of their

lives. Those not so fortunately endowed were out

of luck.

The emerging findings from neuroscience research

are changing the way we view these issues. We now

understand that, with the right kind of stimulation

and activity, the brain can change and reorganize

itself to become more efficient and effective

in processing information, paying attention,

remembering, thinking creatively and solving novel

problems.

Lumos Labs has drawn upon this cutting edge

science to create Lumosity – a collection of web-

and mobile-based applications that empower

people to exercise their brains. The games and

assessments offered through Lumosity are based

on scientific principles and findings, designed and

presented in an appealing, engaging form that

makes it fun to keep the brain active. Through the

Human Cognition Project (HCP) and Lumosity’s

Education Access Program (LEAP), Lumosity is

being used as a platform technology for studying

the impact of cognitive training on individuals,

including healthy children and adults as well as

individuals with specific clinical conditions. While

the research is still evolving, results from studies in

different populations demonstrate that training with

Lumosity can improve a variety of core cognitive

abilities, including attention, memory, executive

function and math skills. These improved abilities

can enable people to remember more, think faster,

and perform better at work, school and in everyday

life. And ultimately, live a more productive life.

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The Incredible Changing Brain

The capacity of the human brain to make newassociations and acquire new knowledge has

been appreciated for hundreds of years. However,

the brain’s ability to fundamentally reorganize

itself when confronted with new challenges is a

relatively recent discovery. The brain is capable of

reorganization throughout life, and new activities

can promote this reorganization. Given the right

kind of stimulation, existing connections in the brain

become more efficient and effective and new neural

connections can form. This power of structural and

functional change is referred to as neuroplasticity,

and its principles are only now beginning to be fully

appreciated.

Behavior Changes the Brain

Throughout the past decade, researchers have

observed brain changes associated with learning

new, complex and challenging tasks. Below are

several examples of research showing the effects of

brain plasticity in response to learning new skills or

knowledge.

Learning-related brain changes.

In order to obtain a license to drive one of the

famous black cabs around the serpentine urban

streets of London, one must first pass a rigorous

exam testing knowledge of point-to-point routes

throughout the city. These routes are referred to as

The Knowledge, and would-be taxi drivers spend

months “on The Knowledge,” studying the map

of London in hopes of passing the exam. In 2000,

researchers at University College London published

an intriguing brain imaging study involving these

individuals (Maguire et al., 2000). They sought to

discover what changes occur in the brains of tax

drivers as they go on The Knowledge. If the brain

were a relatively static receptacle, passively absorbing

information, then researchers would have expected

to see few, if any, major changes in the brain. What

they saw was dramatic and surprising. Researchers

observed that the hippocampus, a brain area critically

involved in memory and navigation, was larger in those

who had acquired The Knowledge compared to those

who had not. The greater brain volume was found to

be related to the expansive spatial expertise acquired

by London taxi drivers (Maguire et al., 2006).

Another example of brain plasticity in everyday life

comes from medical students who have been found

to undergo brain changes similar to those observed in

the London taxi driver study while studying for exams

(Draganski et al., 2006). Similarly, preparation for the

Law School Admission Test (LSAT) has been found

to strengthen brain connections between regions

involved in reasoning and problem solving (Mackey et

al., 2012). Another study found differences in auditory

and visual brain regions between musicians and non-

musicians that were associated with extent of music

practice (Gaser and Schlaug, 2003). In the domain of

language, bilinguals who became proficient in a second

language showed greater brain volume compared to

monolinguals in a region associated with verbal tasks

The amount of change was dependent on the age of

learning the second language (Mechelli et al., 2004)

Lastly, volunteers who learned a 3-ball juggling routineshowed functional changes in brain areas associated

with visual areas important for processing motion tha

the non-jugglers did not show (Draganski et al., 2004

Scholz et al., 2009). All of these results are among the

growing evidence that the human brain changes when

faced with new challenging tasks.

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Video game-based brain changes.

Cognitive abilities are affected by other kinds

of activities as well, not just those traditionally

associated with learning. Some interesting evidence

supporting the brain’s ability to change comes from

the world of video games. Green and Bavelier (2003)

showed that first-person action video game players

performed better in measures of visual attention

than non-players. Furthermore, when non-players

played an action video game intensively over a

period of several weeks, their visual attention

capacities improved to resemble the capacities of

gamers. Haier and colleagues (2009) asked a groupof adolescent girls to undergo an MRI scan before

and after practicing the game Tetris for a period

of three months. The brains of these girls showed

changes in cortical thickness in temporal, parietal

and frontal cortex following the practice. These

studies demonstrate that some aspects of video-

game play, like learning, can induce neuroplasticity.

Training Can Improve Cognitive Performance

Interactive technology, like that used to design video

games, can also be used to create and deliver specific

cognitive tasks in a form that is intensive, engaging,

repeatable, adaptive and highly targeted. This

advance in technology, combined with a growing

appreciation of the brain’s ability to reorganize itself,

has led to an explosion of interest in uncovering

the impact of cognitive training using computer-based technology. Here we present recent research

studies conducted using structured, targeted and

computer-based brain training programs that have

shown positive outcomes on a range of cognitive

abilities in young and old adults as well as children.

Cognitive training in older adults.

One area of active research using cognitive training

is for preventing cognitive decline associated with

the normal course of aging.

The ACTIVE study. The Advanced Cognitive Training

for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) study

was a large, randomized, controlled trial testing the

effects of three kinds of cognitive training (Ball et

al., 2002). The 2832 participants in the study, all 65

years of age or older, were randomly assigned to

one of four training conditions. One group received

no training and served as the control. The threeintervention groups received memory, reasoning or

speed of processing training. Participants in each

intervention group underwent approximately 10

one-hour sessions of training over about six weeks.

A number of interesting results have come out of

the ACTIVE trial. As expected, participants in all

groups learned to perform the training tasks more

efficiently. What was more impressive was that the

effects of the training generalized to measures of

real-world function. For example, those receiving

training in speed of processing and reasoning

showed significantly slower declines in instrumental

activities of daily living compared with individuals in

the control group (Willis et al., 2006). Individuals

in the speed of processing intervention group also

showed significant improvements on a variety of

health-related quality of life self-ratings at the year 2,

3 and 5 follow-ups (Wolinsky et al. 2010). In addition,participants who received these training programs

were about half as likely as control participants to

be in a motor vehicle accident following the study

(Ball et al., 2010). These functional benefits were

observed five years after training was completed,

indicating that the gains were sustained for a

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significant period of time.

The ACTIVE study suggests that cognitive training

can have useful real-world benefits for older adults.

However, the study had several limitations that made

it difficult to rule out placebo effects and untrained

task transfer effects, and difficult to determine

whether cognitive training would similarly benefit

individuals younger than 65 years. In addition, the

training program involved touch-screen monitors

and required in-person supervision, making it

challenging to deliver the intervention outside of

the laboratory or clinic setting.

The IHAMS study. To address these limitations, the

Iowa Healthy and Active Minds Study (IHAMS) was

conducted (Wolinsky et al., 2013). IHAMS included

681 participants in two age groups (group 1: 55-64

years and group 2: 65 years and older), who were

randomly divided into four groups: the first received

the same speed of processing training used in the

ACTIVE study. The second group received the

speed of processing training with an additional

‘booster’ training after 11 months. The third group

completed the speed of processing training on

a personal computer without supervision. The

fourth group completed computerized crossword

puzzles that served as an active control to evaluate

any placebo effects. All groups were assessed on

standard neuropsychological assessments prior to

the start of the study, at 6 to 8 weeks into the study

and at 12 months.

The results of IHAMS demonstrated that targeted

cognitive training enhanced performance in the

trained domain of visual processing and the untrained

domain of executive functioning significantly more

than the crossword puzzle activity. The observed

improvements were equivalent between the groups

who trained in the clinic and at home and between

the younger and older participants. Lastly, the

researchers found that the improvements were

substantial after 12 months. The results of the

IHAMS study supported and extended the findings

of the ACTIVE study and demonstrated again that

cognitive training can be beneficial.

The COGITO study. A separate group of researchers

sought to investigate the effects of cognitive

training in young adults as well as older adults. This

study, called the COGITO study, included twelvecomputerized tasks that exercised processing

speed, working memory and episodic memory.

Participants, both younger (20-31 years) and older

(65-80 years) adults, completed 100 daily 1-hour

sessions of training (Schmiedek et al., 2010). The

results from this study showed improved cognitive

outcomes on several individual tests of near- and

far-transfer of processing speed, working memory

and episodic memory in each age group.

Cognitive training in children.

Research related to the enhancement of core

cognitive abilities through cognitive training in

school-aged children is another area of intense

interest because of its potential to impact education

and longer-term academic outcomes. Executive

functions, or the collections of cognitive processes

that help us to regulate and control our behaviors,

have been shown to correlate with and predictacademic achievement (Blair and Diamond, 2008).

For example, cognitive abilities such as selective

attention, the capacity to focus on relevant

incoming information, and inhibitory control, have

been linked to both literacy and mathematics

(Stevens and Bavelier, 2012; Hillman et al., 2012).

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Beyond having the potential to impact academic

performance, a recent longitudinal study reported

that executive function abilities during childhood

were related to outcomes of lifelong health, wealth

and public safety (Moffitt et al., 2011).

Initial randomized and controlled studies of brain-

based cognitive training with children have shown

significant long-term gains. For example, the Perry

Preschool Program enrolled 3- and 4-year-olds

into intervention sessions targeting a broad range

of cognitive skills including decision-making and

problem solving for 30 weeks per year until thechildren were 8 years old, and reported positive

outcomes on cognitive performance and long-

term records of high school graduation rates

(Belfield et al., 2006; Muennig et al., 2009). Another

study, the Abecedarian Program, enrolled the same

aged children in a full day of individualized cognitive

activities, 5 days a week, for 50 weeks a year, and

demonstrated important, long-lasting benefits

(Barnett and Masse, 2007; Campbell et al., 2001).

A recent study by Mackey and colleagues (2011)

trained older children (7- to 9- year olds) using a

program that targeted fluid reasoning, or the ability

to consider multiple pieces of information when

making a decision, and a separate group that trained

on processing speed tasks. Children in both groups

demonstrated transfer of training to untrained tasks

that tapped the trained skill.

Researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Swedenconducted a series of experiments testing the effects

of a working memory training program with children

with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

The premise of this work was that increasing working

memory capacity in these children would improve

their ability to attend to and process information

in their environments, and a variety of positive

behavioral and school performance outcomes

were achieved. In one study, improvements were

seen in visual memory and response inhibition after

training, relative to children in a control group who

did not train (Klingberg, et al., 2005). Increased levels

of activation in the prefrontal and parietal cortices,

the parts of the brain most responsible for working

memory and attention, were seen in children

following training (Olesen, et al., 2004). Improved

mathematical reasoning performance has also been

observed following training (Holmes, et al., 2009).

This research lends more proof to the notion thateffective brain training can change connections

in the brain, improve cognitive performance and

support learning.

Cognitive training in young adults.

Recently, researchers from the University of

Michigan examined the effects of a challenging

working memory and divided attention task on fluid

intelligence performance in young adults (Jaeggi,

et al., 2008). This task, called the Dual N-Back,

requires users to attend to simultaneously presented

auditory and visual information and remember

both streams. The challenge adapts dynamically to

the user’s performance abilities. Fluid intelligence

is thought of as the ability to creatively solve new

problems, and it is measured as part of standard

IQ tests. Conventional wisdom in psychology

had said that intelligence is fixed, without much

potential for improvement. However, participantswho completed the Dual N-Back training in this

study showed improvements in working memory

and fluid intelligence that were significantly larger

than those seen in the control group. The more

participants trained, the larger the improvements

in fluid intelligence were. This research challenged

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the view that intelligence could not be enhanced

in adults and showed the potential for cognitive

training to help even those who are already near the

peak of cognitive performance. Lumos Labs worked

closely with Martin Buschkuehl and Susanne Jaeggi

to make a version of the Dual N-Back task available

for use by both Lumosity users and researchers.

The studies presented here are merely a sample

of the most compelling research showing that

cognitive training can be effective in strengthening

cognition and enriching real-life outcomes for

people of all ages and a wide range of conditions.Reviews are available that present this literature in

greater depth (for example, Jak et al., 2013; Hertzog

et al. 2009; McGurk et al. 2007). This evidence is

merely the beginning of the story. There is a great

deal more to learn about how cognitive training can

be best applied and optimized for each individual’s

unique goals. At Lumos Labs, we have created a

research platform that allows us to facilitate the

exploration of these issues in collaboration with

researchers and institutions around the globe.

Completed and ongoing research using Lumosity is

described below in the section Scientific Research

with Lumosity.

The Lumosity Product

The Lumosity product suite includes an integratedand growing suite of web- and mobile-based

cognitive training exercises and assessments, as

well as the supporting systems that help guide users

through their brain training experience.

Exercises

The core of the Lumosity brain training experience

is the more than 40 exercises designed to improve

performance across a variety of cognitive functions.

Designed and created by scientists working closely

with game developers, the tasks are both highly

effective brain training and highly engaging games.

Each game targets a specific cognitive skill using

novel experiences that challenge the brain to create

new and more efficient connections. Many games

are adaptive, becoming increasingly more difficult

as performance improves and becoming easierif performance declines. In this way, the training

intensity is optimized to a level that is challenging

without being distracting. Taken together, the entire

suite of exercises represents a comprehensive brain

training system – an entire gym for the brain. There

are exercises training speed of processing, memory,

attention, mental flexibility and problem solving.

The best way to get a sense for how the exercises

work is to look at a few examples.

Figure 1. Lost in Migration screenshot

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Lost in Migration.

In the exercise Lost in Migration, the player must

identify the direction that a central bird is facing

(up, down, left or right), among a presentation of

5 birds, closely resembling a flock of birds in flight

(Figure 1). The goal is to report the direction as

quickly as possible while maintaining high accuracy.

Sometimes the direction of the center bird matches

that of the rest of the flock, which makes the

decision easier because all birds are in a single

direction, but when the center bird is in a different

direction compared to the other birds, the decision

is more difficult. The objective in those situations isto focus on the direction of the center bird without

letting the other birds become a distraction.

This exercise targets visual attention and response

inhibition. The player is challenged to focus in the

presence of distracting information and to use

impulse control. This challenge is similar to a variety

of real world contexts, such as driving or sports,

where we often have to make a rapid decision based

on a stream of incoming visual information.

Memory Matrix.

The exercise Memory Matrix challenges the brain’s

ability to remember spatial locations (Figure 2).

The player’s goal in this exercise is to remember

the location of squares on a grid. The squares

are presented briefly before disappearing. The

player must then click on the locations on the

grid where the squares were highlighted. Initially,

only 3 squares are presented on a 3 by 3 grid, but

with each correct response the number of squares

in increased by one and the grid becomes larger.

This exercise targets spatial short-term memory,

which is closely related to the kinds of memory

challenges that we all experience on a daily basis.

Speed Match.

The goal of Speed Match is to determine whether

the current symbol on a card presented matches

the previous symbol presented (Figure 3). This task

exercises speed of visual processing because the

player is challenged to respond quickly yet accurately

Figure 2. Memory Matrix screenshot Figure 3. Speed Match screenshot

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within a fixed amount of time. The player is given

bonus points for a series of correct responses, and

as performance improves, the cards are presented

more rapidly. Focus must be maintained as each

time there is an equal chance that the card matches

and doesn’t match the one prior, so the player

cannot predict the outcome.

This task is designed to translate to the real world

ability to process incoming streams of visual

information that are changing from moment to

moment and to make decisions faster, such as

when driving or at work.

Assessments

The Brain Performance Test.

To be able to measure training-related changes

in cognitive abilities, Lumos Labs has created

The Brain Performance Test (BPT). The BPT is a

brief, repeatable collection of tasks that are based

on existing neuropsychological and cognitive

assessments and optimized for use on the web.

Importantly, the selected tasks measure cognitive

abilities that are exercised through Lumosity

training, including speed of processing, memory,

attention, mental flexibility and problem solving,

but the tasks distinct from the exercises. This tool

allows us to reliably measure cognitive performance

independent from performance on the games

in order to test the transfer effects of the trainingsystem. Transfer refers to the ability to use the

trained skills and mental mastery in novel situations

and tasks similar, but not identical, to the task used

for training.

Using the BPT, Lumos Labs continuously evaluates

the efficacy of Lumosity training for improving

cognitive abilities. In an example of this research, a

sample of new Lumosity subscribers were sent an

email 3 days after subscribing inviting them to take

the test. Ten weeks later, these same subscribers

were e-mailed with a new invitation to take the test

again. Throughout this 10-week period, participants

could freely train on Lumosity at their leisure.

We analyzed the results of 2045 Lumosity users who

participated in the study. Pre- and post-training BPT

scores were shown to be highly reliable, indicating

that the BPT captures stable differences in cognitive

abilities between individuals (Figure 4). Participantswho completed more Lumosity exercises during

the period between test administrations improved

more on the BPT than those who trained less (p

< .001), based on a regression model controlling

for participants’ age and initial performance on

the assessment as covariates (Figure 5). An earlier

analysis of the BPT was presented at the 2012 annual

meeting of the Society for Neuroscience (Sternberg

et al., 2012).

Figure 4. The relationship between a participants’ pre- and

post-training BPT score.

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100

125

150

50 75 100 125 150

P o s t - t

r a i n i n g

B P T

s c o r e

Pre-training BPT score

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The fact that improvement on the BPT grew as

a function of the amount of Lumosity training

suggests that users may be able to improve their

cognitive performance through Lumosity training.

The BPT will also allow us to develop and test new

and improved cognitive training exercises and

training systems that will continue to increase the

efficacy of Lumosity’s training platform.

Training components

A variety of other components support the training

experience with Lumosity. These include:

Personalized training.The personalized training feature of Lumosity allows

users to build their own training program based on

the cognitive skills that they want to prioritize during

their training. Within each cognitive domain, the

user can set goals for everyday skills they would like

to improve, such as remembering names, improving

productivity, adapting to changing environment and

multitasking efficiently.

Brain Performance Index (BPI).

Lumosity’s BPI is an aggregate measure of

performance on the exercises that allows users to

track their Lumosity improvement across the five

brain areas – Speed, Memory, Attention, Flexibility

and Problem Solving, and over time. The BPI lets

users know where they fall with respect to their own

performance using a single number.

Brain Profile.Lumosity offers its users with an individualized

Brain Profile that indicates where the user sits in the

overall distribution of Lumosity users and relative to

users of a comparable profile. For example, in each

cognitive domain, a percentile rank is graphed,

indicating how the user compares to peers of the

same age.

Lumosity Points.

Lumosity Points provide an effort-based measure

of progress and improvement. The more exercises

completed, the higher the point total, encouraging

users continue playing.

Training History.

Training History presents Lumosity users with both

a summary and detailed report of their training,

including days of training, total games played and

change in BPI scores. These reports are presentedthrough intuitive and accessible visualizations and

graphics, in addition to the numbers.

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Figure 5. Improvement on the BPT as a function of thenumber of Lumosity exercises completed.

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2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

0 - 1 5 5

1 5 5 - 2 5

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C h a n g e i n

B P T s c o r e

Exercises completed


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The Lumosity Research Platform

Lumos Labs’ research is rooted in open innovation,in which the best researchers in the field are

encouraged to study the Lumosity cognitive

training products through ongoing testing and

contribution of the best ideas for novel cognitive

enhancement solutions. This model, accomplished

through The Human Cognition Project, is flourishing

because there is a natural virtuous cycle between

researchers, developers and the users who benefit

from training. The technological infrastructure of the

Lumosity website, and the back-end data solutions

associated with it, make it easy for researchers to

gather and analyze data from studies conducted

using the software. This allows researchers to focus

on the most interesting and important questions in

the field of cognitive training research, rather than

needing to develop custom software. In turn, this

facilitation allows for rapid deployment of cutting

edge training for a wide variety of populations who

can benefit from these tools. The broad user base

itself (Retrieved on October 21, 2013, Lumosity.com

had more than 50 million registered users) allows for

investigation of basic aspects of cognitive function

and cognitive change that could never have been

answered in the past without such large samples.

Scientific Research with Lumosity

The Lumosity exercises and assessments are rooted

in scientific research. Lumos Labs is continually

collaborating with independent research labs

at top universities not only to demonstrate and

develop effective and engaging cognitive training,

but also to advance our understanding of human

cognition more generally. In addition to external

collaborations with university researchers, Lumos

Labs also conducts “in-house” studies of cognitive

training using Lumosity’s large and growing database

of human cognition. Both of these endeavors are

made possible through The Human Cognition

Project.

The Human Cognition Project.

The Human Cognition Project (HCP) brings

together university-based researchers, clinicians

and volunteer participants in an effort to better

understand the human mind. Through this

groundbreaking, interdisciplinary, collaborativeproject, we are working together to answer

questions about human cognition that have gone

unanswered. HCP researchers benefit from free

access to Lumosity’s tools and database on human

cognition; Lumosity benefits by gaining insight into

its training program through unbiased research.

Completed Research.

Below we provide brief descriptions of 7 peer-

reviewed publications that have been conducted

either exclusively by or in collaboration with HCP

university-based researchers. These studies have

demonstrated that cognitive training with Lumosity

is effective in improving important aspects of

cognition, across a variety of populations. In

addition to published research, we also present

our findings at scientific conferences such as the

Society for Neuroscience, Cognitive Neuroscience

Society, Entertainment Software and CognitiveNeurotherapeutics Society (ESCoNS) and other

scientific research meetings. A full list of completed

research can be found on our website: http://hcp.

lumosity.com/research/bibliography.

In 2011, Hardy and colleagues published the

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results of an experiment conducted by Lumos

Labs to evaluate the effect of Lumosity training

on cognition in healthy adults (Hardy, et al., 2011).

The study included 23 participants (mean age = 54

years) who were divided into a group that received

Lumosity training and a control group that received

no treatment. Training consisted of 20 minutes of

Lumosity per day, once a day, for five weeks. Allparticipants’ cognitive abilities were assessed before

and after the training period with measures of visual

attention, working memory and executive function.

These assessments were versions of standard

assessments of cognitive function, adapted for use

on the web.

Working memory performance was measured

using a test referred to as the reverse span board.

In this assessment, participants must attend to and

remember the order in which a set of blocks were lit

up and respond by clicking on them in the opposite

order. Participants who engaged in Lumosity

training improved significantly (p


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Overall, participants in this study improved on the

exercises that they played, which is not surprising.

What is more interesting is that these training gains

transferred to measures of cognitive performance

that were not directly trained. Therefore, participants

did not simply learn strategies to get better on the

exercises; rather, the training changed underlying

cognitive abilities. Due to the fundamental nature of

this change, these gains may transfer to real world

tasks that rely on these cognitive abilities.

In a study published in the December 2011 issue of

the peer-reviewed journal Brain Impairment, Finnand McDonald, from the University of New South

Wales, reported their findings demonstrating that

patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)

experienced positive cognitive outcomes following

Lumosity training (Finn and McDonald, 2011).

MCI is diagnosed when cognitive changes beyond

those expected with the typical aging process are

present, including difficulties with recall, information

processing and planning. MCI is also associated with

an increased risk of dementia. In the study, twelve

individuals with MCI completed 30 sessions of

Lumosity training over 8-10 weeks, while a group of

13 individuals was assigned to a waitlist group that

did not complete training until the study was over. All

participants underwent cognitive assessment using

the Cambridge Automated Neuropsychological

Test Battery (CANTAB) before and after the training

period. The researchers observed that individualsin the Lumosity training group showed significant

improvement in visual attention compared to

individuals in the waitlist group, which is a promising

result for those suffering from MCI.

In 2013, in collaboration with Dr. Murali Doraiswamy,

a professor at Duke University, Lumos Labs published

a paper in the journal Frontiers in Neuroscience

reporting on a new, web-based, big data approach

to understanding human cognition (Sternberg et al.,

2013). The objective of the study was to demonstrate

the power of Lumosity’s large database of human

cognition by examining how cognitive performance

relates to lifestyle factors and how it changes over

the lifespan in a demographically diverse, healthy

population.

Two separate analyses were conducted within

the study. In the first analysis, Lumosity users’performance on 3 cognitive exercises: Speed Match

(processing speed), Memory Matrix (spatial working

memory) and Raindrops (problem solving), along

with their data from a health and lifestyle survey,

were analyzed. This analysis found that cognitive

performance on all three exercises was highest, on

average, for users reporting 7 hours of sleep each

night. In addition, low to moderate alcohol intake

(1-2 drinks per day) was associated with higher

performance and progressively decreased with

additional alcohol consumption. Figure 8 shows the

results from the analysis of performance on Memory

Matrix (Figure 2) in a group of 161,717 Lumosity users

as a function of sleep and alcohol, controlling for

age, gender and level of education.

The second analysis included data from Lumosity

users ages 18-74 who completed at least 25 training

sessions that included cognitive exercises that relyeither on fluid intelligence (Memory Matrix and

Memory Match) or on crystallized intelligence (Word

Bubbles and Raindrops). Overall, performance on

all four exercises decreased with age and increased

with amount of training. However, performance

decreased more rapidly with age for exercises that

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required fluid intelligence compared with exercises

that rely on crystallized intelligence. Additionally,

the analysis revealed that improvement decreased

as age increased. Additionally, the analysis revealed

that improvement decreased as age increased

at a faster rate for exercises that required fluidintelligence compared with those that rely on

crystallized intelligence. Together, the analyses

published in this paper demonstrate examples

of the scientific questions that can be answered

through the study of Lumosity’s large dataset of

human cognitive performance.

Dr. Shelli Kesler, an Assistant Professor and

neuropsychologist at Stanford University School of

Medicine, has been studying the effects of training

with Lumosity for several years. Dr. Kesler studies

cognition in a few populations of individuals who

are challenged due to medical conditions. She has

been using Lumosity in this context to understand

whether cognition can be improved in these

populations.

One study from Dr. Kesler’s lab involves children

with Turner syndrome. Turner syndrome is a

genetic condition known to cause several issues,including cognitive challenges – particularly related

to executive function. In a study published in 2011

in the peer-reviewed journal Neuropsychological

Rehabilitation, Kesler and colleagues showed

enhanced math skills and cognitive performance,

along with corresponding changes in brain activity,

in individuals with Turner syndrome following

training with Lumosity (Kesler et al., 2011a). In this

study, 16 girls ages 7-14 years with Turner syndrome

participated in a 6-week Lumosity training program.

All participants completed standardized cognitive

tests and math tests before and after completing

Lumosity training. Participants also underwent

functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)

scanning while performing a math task before and

after training to measure the effects of Lumosity

training on brain activity. The girls who completed

the Lumosity training demonstrated significant

improvements in processing speed, visual attentionand cognitive flexibility (p < .05, two-tailed t-test).

In addition, fMRI brain scans revealed neuroplastic

changes in brain function, with significantly

(p


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executive function and number skills (Figure 9).

This study showed that individuals with Turner

Syndrome could improve math and cognitive skills

with Lumosity training.

Dr. Kesler has also been investigating the use of

cognitive training in improving cognitive outcomes

in cancer survivors. Chemotherapy and radiation

therapy associated with cancer treatment can have

negative effects on brain structures, and certain

forms of cancer can directly impair brain function.

Awareness of the negative effects of cancer and

cancer treatment on brain function has beengrowing in recent years. Terms such as “chemobrain”

or “chemofog” have been coined to describe this

phenomenon. In a study published in 2011 in Brain

Injury, Dr. Kesler’s group enrolled 25 children with

leukemia or posterior brain tumors to complete

Lumosity training (Kesler et al., 2011b). As part of the

study, all children completed standardized cognitive

tests and underwent fMRI scanning before and after

training.

Participants showed increased scores on Processing

Speed, Sort Test, List Memory and Picture Memory

tests following Lumosity training. In addition,

brain scans showed increased activation in the

prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible

for executive functions including cognitive

flexibility and decision-making. This study was the

first to show that Lumosity training is effective for

improving executive and memory skills in pediatric

cancer survivors.

Dr. Kesler is also actively engaged in testing the

effects Lumosity training in a population of breast

cancer survivors. In a recent publication in the peer-

reviewed journal Clinical Breast Cancer, Dr. Kesler

explored whether Lumosity training could reduce

or reverse the impairments caused by cancer

15

Figure 9. Changes in brain activity following training on Lumosity. Red areas represent increased activity while blue areasrepresent decreased activity following training.


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treatments. Forty-one women who had undergone

chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer were

assigned to a Lumosity training group or a waitlist

group that received Lumosity training after the

study was completed. Participants took a series of

cognitive tests from standard neuropsychological

assessments before and after the training period.

The results showed that individuals in the Lumosity

training group experienced significantly greater

improvement on the Wisconsin Card Sort Task

(WCST), Symbol Search and Letter Fluency

compared with the group who did not completetraining (Figure 10). The individuals who completed

the training also reported improvements in daily

planning and monitoring skills. This study revealed

that cancer survivors were able to improve their

cognitive abilities and that they reported improved

quality of life following training with Lumosity.

Beyond cognitive training, Lumosity exercises

and assessments have also been used as a tool

for researchers interested in studying cognitive

performance. For example, Rattray and colleagues

at the University of Canberra used Lumosity’s Speed

Match game as a freely available and easy-to-use

assessment of executive function during exercise.

This work, published in the Journal of Science &

Medicine in Sport, examined the effect of aerobic

exercise on cognitive function in 20 healthy adults

(Rattray and Smee, 2013). While exercise proved

to have no effect on participants’ accuracy on the

task, it did improve their reaction time by making

participants faster compared with when they had

not exercised.

Summary of Key Findings to Date. Results observed

in training studies conducted with Lumosity show

that this training platform can be used to improve

cognition in a variety of ways and for a variety of

individuals. Improvements in memory, attention

and executive function have been seen in healthy

adults as well as children and adults with a variety of

clinical conditions that impact cognitive functions.

Overall, these results demonstrate that training

with Lumosity can have wide-ranging impacts

in cognitive performance across the lifespan,

regardless of one’s starting point.

Ongoing Research.

The completed research described above is just

the tip of the iceberg of scientific exploration using

the Lumosity platform and database. Lumos Labs

supports external, independent research by makingavailable Lumosity exercises and assessments, as

well as offering data capture and analysis support.

Lumos Labs also facilitates the advancement of

scientific research by providing select access to the

largest human cognitive performance database to

date.

16

Figure 10. Changes on various standardized cognitive tests

in the Lumosity training group and the Waitlist group.


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Researchers worldwide are currently using the

Lumosity platform and database to engage in

research studies that span topics including aging,

traumatic brain injury (TBI), stroke, addiction, post

traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and exercise.

Here are just a few examples of the more than 40

ongoing research studies with Lumosity:

Researchers at Harvard University, led by Dr.

Christine Hooker have been exploring the effects of

Lumosity training on the brains of individuals at high

risk for schizophrenia. Dr. Joe Ventura, a Professorat UCLA, is also studying the effects of Lumosity

in a day treatment program that serves adults with

schizophrenia.

Dr. Anett Gyurak, a Postdoctoral Researcher at

Stanford University is conducting a study to assess

whether Lumosity training is an effective intervention

for helping individuals cultivate emotion regulation

abilities.

Dr. Bruce Compas, a Professor at Vanderbilt

University is conducting a study investigating the

effects of Lumosity on stress and coping strategies

in college students.

Dr. Michael Weiner’s group at UCSF is using Lumosity

performance in their Brain Initiative project to

help identify the progression of brain conditions

throughout adulthood.

A complete list of ongoing research collaborations

can be found on our website: http://hcp.lumosity.

com/research/ongoing.

Lumosity’s Education Access Program.

Launched in 2009, Lumosity’s Education Access

Program (LEAP) is focused on discovering the

effects of Lumosity training on students’ cognitive

capabilities and academic performance by

encouraging and facilitating research in classrooms

around the world. Executive functions and other

core cognitive abilities serve as critical scaffolding

for educational achievement and general life

outcomes beyond school. For example, working

memory and visual-spatial skills have been

associated with math, science and reading abilities.

Improving these functions not only prepares themind for grasping and processing information, it

also prepares the student by improving the ability

to focus and attend to classroom activities. In

addition, several of the Lumosity exercises employ

problem solving abilities that include material such

as basic math skills that students must master in

the classroom. In this way, the training is doubly

productive, improving underlying brain mechanisms

while simultaneously providing students with basic

practice on foundational skills.

To date, through LEAP, over 14,000 students in

over 700 classrooms worldwide have received free

access to Lumosity. Working with teachers, school

administrators and education researchers, we are

studying the impact of Lumosity on cognitive and

academic performance in school-aged children.

Lumosity training is well suited to supplementstandard curricula in the classroom environment,

with engaging and stimulating exercises that aim

to strengthen core cognitive skills that can help

to prepare students for success in the classroom.

Initial findings from LEAP are providing promising

evidence that cognitive training positively impacts

17


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students’ cognitive abilities and has the potential to

improve academic outcomes.

In a study led by Nicole Ng and colleagues at Lumos

Labs (Ng et al., 2013), a group of 1204 students

(ages 8-15 years) from 40 schools participated in

a semester-long study in which each student was

assigned to either complete Lumosity cognitive

training as a supplement to their classroom activities

or engage in their normal curricular activities. All

students were tested using the Brain Performance

Test before and after the training period to measure

transfer effects of Lumosity training. Lumosity

training involved daily training sessions consistingof 5 different exercises that took 15-20 minutes

to complete. Students also had the opportunity

to complete additional exercises outside of the

designated classroom time.

The results revealed that students who completed

Figure 11. Changes in BPT score on various standardized

cognitive tests in the Lumosity training and the controlgroups.

Figure 12. Improvement on the BPT as a function of the

number of Lumosity exercises completed.

Lumosity training showed greater improvement on

all BPT tasks compared with students who had not

done the training (Figure 11). Furthermore, students’

improvements on the BPT were related to the hours

they had spent training (Figure 12).

Collectively, findings from LEAP both validate the

feasibility of deploying a web-based cognitive

training program as a supplemental educational

activity in a range of ages and classrooms, and

establish that a student’s engagement with

Lumosity can have a positive impact on cognitive

abilities. Studies like these are encouraging, and

open the doors to answering additional questionsabout the role that neuroplasticity and cognitive

training can play in education. The bridge between

neuroscience research and educational practice is

just beginning to be built and Lumosity is excited to

continue supporting it through LEAP.

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

1 − 5 5

5 5 − 9 0

9 0 − 1

4 6

1 4 6 −

2 4 0

2 4 0 +

Games played

C h a n g e i n o v e r a l l s c o r

e

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

G N G

T A T B A R F S R S

G R

G r a n d

I n d e x

A g e a d j u s t e d c h a n g e i n s c o r e

control intervention

18


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Conclusion

Recent studies have revealed that the brain remainschangeable throughout life, and in doing so, have

revolutionized the way scientists view cognition. It is

no longer common belief that children’s brains are

fixed after the end of a critical period in development

or that aging is an inevitable precipitous decline

in cognitive functions. Rather, there is substantial

evidence that, in addition to genetics, which supply

the basic blueprint for brain development, there

is also a tremendous influence of environmental

factors that can shape our neural circuitry, and

ultimately impact the way our brains function.

Launched in 2007, Lumosity is committed to

pioneering the understanding and enhancement of

the human brain to give each person the power to

unlock their full cognitive potential. Lumosity’s online

and mobile programs take a personalized approach

to training core cognitive abilities such as speed of

processing, memory, attention and problem solving.

Rooted in neuroscience and designed around key

factors such as targeting, adaptivity, engagement,

and transferability, Lumosity training can benefit a

variety of cognitive abilities, to lead to real changes

in the brain and to be fun at the same time. There is

a great deal more research to be done. Through our

collaborative research programs with universities

and schools worldwide, we are continuing to learn

about the ways in which training can help each user

achieve their individual goals, including healthy

adults, school-aged children and patients with

specific clinical conditions.

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