Brain Fitness Program

The Brain Fitness Program is a software training program developed by the research team at Posit Science as a possible means for improving auditory processing and memory. It approaches this goal by adherence to the principles of brain plasticity. Unlike alternative treatments which propose specific compensation methods as a solution for age-related memory loss, this software attempts to take advantage of natural brain plasticity in an attempt to improve auditory processing and memory. Due to the propensity of the brain to relearn and alter itself based on selective attention to stimuli, the researchers at Posit Science designed the Brain Fitness software with the goal that the brain would actually be restructured during its use. The Brain Fitness Program has since been discontinued. All the exercises within the program have been incorporated into Posit Science's new product BrainHQ.
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Beginning as early as age 30, memory problems start to steadily increase into old age. In individuals without pathological cognitive function loss, this usually inevitable decline is called ‘age-related cognitive decline’ or ARCD. Brain plasticity research has shown that the adult brain is adaptive at any age. However, the effects of plasticity are not always positive.
It has been asserted that ARCD results from combined physical brain changes related to aging and negative consequences of plasticity. The latter point is thought to result from disuse-the relative absence of novel, attention-demanding stimuli in the lives of the elderly allows the ‘plastic’ connections between the circuits in the brain to weaken. Combined with noisy auditory input often endured by elderly individuals with hearing loss, these already weak connection are neglected further as the individuals try to compensate for his/her hearing and memory problems by using context clues. As hearing and cognition continue to decay, reliance on these compensatory mechanisms becomes more extreme, all the while still weakening the original circuits responsible for auditory processing.
To stop this negative spiral, the researchers at Posit Science concluded that they needed to harness plasticity in a positive way. Plasticity-based learning methods have shown some promise in several small studies by Mahncke and Merzenich. Particularly, those circuits which are activated under conditions of novel stimuli and close attention are strengthened most quickly. To successfully attain generalizability, several studies have suggested that intensive learning and practice of the basic sensory processing (instead of specific tasks) activate plastic change. Such change results in improvement which generalizes across different skills.

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