SAN FRANCISCO — BrainHQ, the premier brain-training platform developed by Posit Science, has earned the Gold Badge from APA Labs – a unit of APA Services, Inc., the companion professional association of the American Psychological Association (APA). This elite status recognizes BrainHQ for excellence in clinical rigor and establishes it as a trusted, evidence-based solution in the crowded and largely unregulated digital mental health marketplace. BrainHQ is currently the third app to earn the Gold Digital Badge, and is the first app focused on brain training for cognitive enhancement.
The APA Labs Digital Badge Program provides an independent, science-based evaluation to help clinicians and consumers navigate the landscape of mental health apps. To achieve the Gold APA Labs Digital Badge—the program’s highest honor—BrainHQ underwent a rigorous evaluation process across six critical domains: Scientific Principles, Regulation & Safety, Data Protection & Privacy, Technical Security, Usability, and Clinical Purpose.
“We are honored to receive the APA Labs Gold Digital Badge, which reflects our decades-long commitment to rigorous clinical validation, service and safety,” said Dr. Henry Mahncke, CEO of Posit Science. “In an era when brain games seem to be added to app stores as quickly as you can scroll, this recognition provides users and clinicians with the essential reassurance that BrainHQ is rooted in sound science and held to the highest safety and privacy standards.”
“This achievement signals a new level of transparency and trust for BrainHQ users,” Dr. Mahncke added. “By meeting the APA Labs’ stringent criteria, BrainHQ has demonstrated not only the validity of the science behind its approach on improving cognitive performance, but also our commitment to serving users and maintaining the standards clinicians should expect from products they may recommend.”
BrainHQ is now featured in the APA Labs Digital Badge Solutions Library, a searchable database designed to help healthcare providers and organizations identify digital mental and behavioral health tools that align with APA Labs’ robust criteria.
“With so many digital mental health tools on the market, it’s difficult for consumers and health care providers to know which ones they can trust. At the same time, responsible developers want to build useful products but often lack clear guidance on best practices in mental and behavioral health technologies,” said Tanya Carlson, Managing Director, APA Labs. “The APA Labs Digital Badge will provide a science-based evaluation that helps the public make informed choices, gives clinicians confidence in what they recommend, and supports developers who are committed to doing things right.”
As digital mental and behavioral health tools continue to grow rapidly across the United States, APA Labs identified a critical challenge facing the market: clinicians, health systems, payers, and consumers lacked a clear, trusted way to distinguish high-quality digital solutions from those that fall short on evidence, safety, and privacy. To address this gap, APA Labs launched the APA Labs Digital Badge Program, an initiative designed to bring greater trust, consistency, and transparency to the digital mental health ecosystem.
BrainHQ has frequently been in the news over the past year, including as the brain training used in: the Johns Hopkins led ACTIVE Study showing 20-year dementia prevention results; the Alzheimer’s Association US POINTER study on lifestyle interventions for cognitive improvement; the McGill University led INHANCE study showing the first-ever upregulation in brain acetylcholine production; and the NYU led TBI Study showing white matter rewiring through brain training after brain injury. These studies show that cognitive training can produce both measurable clinical benefits and underlying biological brain changes.
BrainHQ has shown benefits in more than 300 studies. Such benefits include gains in cognition (attention, speed, memory, decision-making), in quality of life (depressive symptoms, confidence and control, health-related quality of life) and in real-world activities (health outcomes, balance, driving, workplace activities). BrainHQ is used by leading health plans, medical centers, clinics, and communities, and by elite athletes, the military, and other organizations focused on peak performance. Information for clinicians can be found at: https://www.brainhq.com/partners/brainhq-for-clinicians. Consumers can try a BrainHQ exercise for free daily at https://www.brainhq.com.