Research On Lumosity
As a part of the Human Cognition Project, Lumosity works with researchers from the top universities across the globe to test and improve the cognitive training exercises on Lumosity. This research is presented at scientific conferences and in peer-reviewed publications; we also communicate the results directly to our members via blog posts and e-mail newsletters.
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Dr. Shelli Kesler and colleagues at Stanford University found improved cognitive performance and corresponding increases in brain activity in the pre-frontal cortex in survivors of childhood cancer following training with Lumosity. Participants who trained with Lumosity showed significantly improved processing speed, cognitive flexibility, verbal and visual declarative memory scores.1
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Dr. Shelli Kesler and colleagues showed enhanced math skills and cognitive performance with corresponding changes in brain activity in individuals with Turner’s syndrome following training with Lumosity.2
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Psychologist Maurice Finn and Skye McDonald from the University of New South Wales found that patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) who trained with Lumosity improved their sustained attention relative to controls. MCI is considered a precursor condition to Alzheimer’s disease, and this is the first report of cognitive enhancement with training in this population.3
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Dr. Joe Hardy and colleagues at Lumosity demonstrated improvements in attention, working memory, and executive function with Lumosity training.4
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In 2008, Dr. Susanne Jaeggi, Dr. Martin Buschkuehl and colleagues at the University of Michigan showed that cognitive training with a task called Dual N-Back enhanced fluid intelligence – the ability to creatively solve new problems, and a critical component of IQ. This study involved healthy young adults, mostly university students. After as little as eight hours of training, young adults who trained saw significant gains in fluid intelligence and working memory. We have worked with the Michigan group to include a version of their training program on Lumosity. In addition, we have created a game-like version of their task called Memory Lane.5
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Dr. Anett Gyurak and colleagues at the University of California, Berkeley investigated the effects of Lumosity training on emotion regulation. They found that participants who received Lumosity training had significantly enhanced self-esteem relative to a control group that did not receive training. In addition, the trained group had improved emotion regulation and reduced ruminative thinking. The researchers attributed the emotional benefits of Lumosity training to improvements in executive functioning – the ability to mentally control thoughts and emotions. This research was presented at the Determinants of Executive Function and Dysfunction conference in 2010.6
Select peer-reviewed articles on Lumosity:
Select conference presentations:
- Kesler, S., Lacayo, N., & Booil, J. (2011). A pilot study of an online cognitive rehabilitation program for executive function skills in children with cancer-related brain injury. Brain Injury, 24(1), 101–112. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21142826
- Kesler, S. R., Sheau, K., Koovakkattu, D., & Reiss, A. L. (2011). Changes in frontal-parietal activation and math skills performance following adaptive number sense training: preliminary results from a pilot study. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, 21(4), 433–454. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21714745
- Finn, M., & McDonald, S. (2011). Computerised cognitive training for older persons with mild cognitive impairment: A pilot study using a randomised controlled trial design. Brain Impairment, 12(3), 187–199.
- Hardy, J. L., Drescher, D., Sarkar, K., Kellett, G., & Scanlon, M. (2011). Enhancing visual attention and working memory with a web-based cognitive training program. Mensa Research Journal, 42(2), 13–20. http://static.sl.lumosity.com/pdf/hardy_drescher_sarkar_kellet_scanlon_2011.pdf
- Jaeggi, S. M., Buschkuehl, M., Jonides, J., & Perrig, W. J. (2008). Improving fluid intelligence with training on working memory. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 105(19), 6829–6833. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18443283
- Gyurak, A., Ayduk, O., & Gross, J. B. (2010). Training executive functions: emotion regulation and affective consequences. Presented at the Determinants of Executive Function and Dysfunction Conference, Boulder, CO. http://www.lumosity.com/pdf/Gyurak-et-al-2010-DEFD-training-emotions.pdf
