Posit Science
Posit Science, a venture capital-funded company based in San Francisco, California, develops software-based brain training programs designed to improve cognitive performance in adults. The company is part of the rapidly growing brain fitness industry.
History
Posit Science was co-founded in 2003 by Michael Merzenich, a well-known professor of neuroscience at the University of California at San Francisco, and Jeffrey Zimman. At that time, the company was known as Neuroscience Solutions Corporation.
In 2004, the company announced its first pilot program—the Brain Fitness Program—designed to improve auditory and speech processing. The Brain Fitness Program began to sell to partner organizations and individual customers in 2005. Since then, the software has been examined in several studies, including the large-scale IMPACT study conducted with Mayo Clinic and the University of Southern California.
In 2008, Posit Science acquired Visual Awareness, Inc., developer of Dr. Karlene Ball’s useful field of view (UFOV) assessment and training technology. This technology was incorporated into a new brain fitness product, InSight, for visual processing and memory. The UFOV technology has been investigated in multiple published studies, many funded by the National Institutes of Health.
In 2009, Posit Science launched DriveSharp, an entry-point product designed to improve driving safety by speeding up visual processing. DriveSharp is built on the same UFOV technology as InSight. The AAA Foundation has partnered with Posit Science to recommend DriveSharp to over 20 million AAA club members.
Posit Science is the third company to come out of research from the laboratory of Dr. Michael Merzenich. Prior companies include Advanced Bionics (the makers of the cochlear implant) and Scientific Learning Corporation.
Products
Posit Science’s current software programs are designed to improve cognitive performance in healthy aging adults. These include:
• The Posit Science Brain Fitness Program— six computer exercises for auditory processing and memory
• InSight—five computer exercises for visual processing and memory
• DriveSharp—two computer exercises for visual processing and reaction speed to improve driving safety
All of Posit Science’s products are available for individual purchase on the company’s website. Their programs are also distributed through insurance partners, PBS television stations, affiliated residential communities, and a small number of retail stores.
Scientific Principles and Validation
The foundational scientific concept behind Posit Science products is neuroplasticity. Their software programs are designed to engage the brain’s natural plasticity to speed up its ability to process sensory input and to improve information recording (memory).
Posit Science’s programs are likely the most-studied brain fitness programs available on the market today. Dozens of published studies have examined their technologies. These have shown that using Posit Science training programs drives statistically significant improvements in:
• Memory
• Speed of auditory processing
• Size of useful field of view (up to 300%)
• Driving safety
• Performance of timed instrumental activities of daily living, such as counting change or taking medication
• Maintenance of independence
They have also shown lower rates of:
• Depressive symptoms
• At-fault automobile accidents (51% reduction)
• Decline in health-related quality of life
• Driving cessation
The effects of Posit Science programs have not been fully studied in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia.
Future
In late 2009, Posit Science launched the Brain Plasticity Institute for continuing investigation into plasticity-based training for a variety of clinical indications, including schizophrenia and traumatic brain injury.