Brain training apps to help with cognition

Following on from our recent blog where a member of the MS community explained how he had benefitted from using a brain training programme, we take a brief look at some of the many different apps and online programmes that are widely available and designed to help promote better cognitive health.

BrainHQ

Built by a team of top neuroscientists and underpinned by many published studies, BrainHQ is a longstanding provider of personalised brain training focused on improving cognitive functioning.

The exercises provided cover a wide range of cognitive skills including information processing speed, memory and attention, all of which are adapted in accordance to the individual’s needs. This means that you receive the level and intensity of training that is appropriate to you.

It is also designed to fit into your lifestyle, so you can benefit from a simple 5-minute session or if you have more time, a complete 60-minute workout.

The BrainHQ programme is free to download with limited access and a paid subscription option that provides you with full functionality.

BrainHQ is available on iOS and android platforms or via their website.

Elevate

Elevate is a brain training app which is designed to help users improve cognitive functions such as memory, concentration and focus, whilst helping to build skills such as math, reading and vocabulary. The app uses over 40 different games that are optimised in accordance with your performance and uses adaptive difficulty progression to make sure you are always challenged.

The app is available for free which provides access to a daily workout, study materials and a weekly performance report. The paid subscription version offers much more, including access to the full catalogue of over 40 games, additional difficulty levels and adaptive difficulty progression.

Elevate is only available as an app on iOS and android platforms.

Peak

This brain training app has been developed in partnership with a variety of neuroscience academics from institutions including Cambridge University and University College London. Peak delivers daily brain workouts which are designed to target the improvement of cognitive processes such as attention, memory, problem solving and mental agility.

The app allows you to track your progress, compare and contrast with other users and offers tips on areas which you may wish to consider focusing improvement.

Peak brain training is available for free, with a paid subscription option that opens up access to more advanced features.

The Peak app is only available on iOS and android platforms.

Lumosity

According to Lumos Labs, the creators of Lumosity, it is used by over 100 million people worldwide, making it one of the most widely used brain training programmes. It also looks to produce the goods, given one of their own studies, consisting of over 4500 participants, found that users showed improvements in working memory, short term memory, processing speed and overall cognitive functioning after taking part in a 10 week-long training programme.

Lumosity requires the user to complete various challenges that target functions such as memory, speed, logic and problem solving, all of which are personalised depending on your past performance.

You can register for Lumosity for free, this will give you access to 3 games per day, while a paid subscription will provide you with full access to the programme’s features.

Lumosity is available on iOS, android platforms and via their website.

Eidetic – Spaced repetition

This app takes a different slant to brain training as it uses a technique known as ‘spaced repetition’ which studies have shown can help with memorising information. It is therefore more limited in its focus, in comparison to the other apps on this list, however it may be a useful tool to those who are looking for a little extra help with information retention.

Eidetic is free with in-app purchases available for more advanced features.

The Eidetic – Spaced Retention app is currently only available on the iOS platform.

Neuronation

This award-winning cognitive fitness programme was developed in collaboration with cognitive specialists at the Free University of Berlin, Germany and has been used in studies looking at the benefits of brain training for people with cognitive deficit.

The programme delivers a personalised brain training programme with over 300 levels of difficulty, producing results that are measurable, allowing you to target further improvement.

Neuronation offers initial training and evaluation for free, however access to the full suite of training exercises requires a paid subscription.

The Neuronation programme is available on iOS, android platforms and via their website.

CogniFit

This brain training tool was developed by neuroscience experts and is aimed at helping you to improve and maintain many different cognitive processes by way of personalised brain training sessions.

CogniFit uses their trade marked Individualized Training System (ITS) technology which analyses your performance when undertaking the various tasks and games, then uses this to determine the content and difficulty level of future sessions. Your progress is measurable and can be broken down into different cognitive areas, such as reasoning, memory and attention.

Registering for CogniFit is free however access to their full suite of brain training tools requires a paid subscription.

CogniFit is available as an app on both iOS and android platforms.

BrainGymmer

Not yet available as an app, BrainGymmer is an online resource that uses games, teasers and tests to help train your brain. The programme was developed in The Netherlands in association with neuroscientists and is used as a research tool by various universities when evaluating the impact of cognitive training.

BrainGymmer is available for free with a paid for version providing access to additional games, tests and benefits.

The above provides a snapshot of just a few of the many different brain training apps and programmes available. It would be wise to shop around to find the one that works for you, taking into account functionality, accessibility and of course, price!

Our booklet, Choices – Cognition and MS, provides information about this symptom, including ways to access support. You can order hard copies of this booklet and all of our Choices range by using our online order form or by contacting our helpline.

MS-UK has no affiliation any of the companies that provide the apps and programmes cited in this article.