There was recently an article in New York Times magazine on brain fitness tools. Below is my response to the authors. Though there are many brain training programs with little to no research data, we at ADD Health and Wellness we have been successfully using the Cogmed program on training working memory skills and attention. The Cogmed program does have significant research support in addition to the positive feedback from thousands of clients. Feel free to give us a call with questions on Cogmed and the proven benefits of brain training.

Theresa Cerulli, M.D.
Neuropsychiatrist

Dear Editor,
I’d like to applaud Sandra Aamodt and Sam Wang for throwing some cold water on the current brain fitness craze in last week’s Opinion Editorial “Exercise on the Brain.” They are correct in labeling the host of “mental fitness” products that target aging baby boomers as “inspired by science — not to be confused with actually proven by science.”
For the last 30 years, terms like “brain plasticity” have been widely and casually used, creating hype that risks drowning out the real breakthroughs that brain researchers are making in this area. 
It is important to distinguish the “mental fitness” trend that Aamodt and Wang rightly criticize from actual researched-based cognitive training. Unlike “mental fitness” programs, cognitive training programs focus very narrowly on specific cognitive functions that research has shown to be plastic. This is in stark contrast to compiling a smattering of exercises or activities that are generally thought to be good for the brain, but lack true scientific research and are ultimately ineffective. Cognitive training does not claim to be for everyone—only those who experience deficits in specific cognitive functions that can be improved through persistent training. A qualified clinical professional can determine if and when cognitive training is the right form of intervention.
One type of cognitive training that has proven to be effective is the training of working memory—the ability to hold information in mind for a few seconds. As Aamodt and Wang point out, working memory is a critical component of executive function, a collection of cognitive skills that together allow us to organize, manage and prioritize activities. Training working memory offers more than just improvements in the trained task. Other brain functions such as attention, reading, and problem solving skills also improve with working memory training. (Important research on the effectiveness of working memory training to improve attention and executive functioning was published in Aamondt’s Nature Neuroscience).
In my clinical practice, I have had the pleasure of observing the often dramatic impact of working memory training on the daily lives of many of my patients who struggle with debilitating attention problems. Working memory training is a research-based breakthrough for children and adults with attention deficits, as well as victims of stroke and traumatic brain injury. For clients with executive functioning challenges, working memory training targets these very difficulties which medications so often fail to treat.
Baby boomers need to remain cautious when it comes to the fountain-of-youth promises of the brain fitness programs. The key lies in drawing a clear line between the “mental fitness” fad and proven cognitive training that has been validated repeatedly in the laboratory and in clinical practice.