For the last two decades, scientists at Posit Science working on BrainHQ have been unlocking how human brains can be improved both functionally and as healthier organs.
This work began with a focus on cognitive aging — the slowing in brain function and brain health begins in your late 20s. The tools discovered for aging brains also have applications across various health conditions (brain injuries, mental illnesses, neurodegenerative diseases), and researchers found they could also improve already high-performing brains.
Recent research has centred on how brain plasticity serves as the next frontier of human advancement. Dr. Henry Mahncke, CEO of Posit Science/BrainHQ spoke at the What’s Next Longevity Innovation Summit at the National Press Club in Washington DC on December 10.
In a statement sent to Digital Journal, Mahncke states: “Since the 1960s, we’ve seen how America’s investment in NASA has resulted in all sorts of innovations that impact our daily lives. It’s a seemingly unrelated and endless list, including GPS, local weather forecasts, digital photography, wireless headsets, self-driving cars, cell phones, memory foam, computer chips, air purifiers, cordless tools, shelf-stable foods, CAT scans, LEDs, athletic shoes, modern home insulation, and freeze-dried food.”
“My own journey with the neurotechnology we first developed to help aging older adults is filled with the same sense of wonder about all the unexpected innovations it has led us to,” Mahncke adds.
The BrainHQ neuroplasticity-based technology was first developed in the early 2000’s to address the cognitive decline associated with normal aging. At the same time, Posit Science established a global network of independent university-based researchers to run studies evaluating the efficacy of the brain exercises. There are now published studies on the efficacy of BrainHQ cognitive assessments and brain training.
Studies in aging have shown significant improvement in standard measures of cognitive function (attention, speed, memory, reasoning, decision-making) in standard gerontological measures of quality of life (maintaining independent living, general health, health-related quality of life, mood, confidence), and in real world activities (gait, balance, fall risk, driving safety).
Furthermore, over 100 studies have been published across many health conditions, including, brain injuries (mild to severe traumatic brain injuries, and brain fog associated with cancer, COVID, and HIV, and heart failure); mental illnesses (depression, anxiety/stress/fatigue, Schizophrenia, and Bipolar disorder) and neurodegenerative diseases (MCI/pre-Dementia, Alzheimer’s/Dementia, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis).