Skip to main content

A "better brains" collective launches to improve cognition of the masses

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American


Michael Merzenich is a pioneer in the exploration of neuroplasticity, the exploration of the brain’s intrinsic changeability, even in adulthood. In recent years Merzenich has brought neuroplasticity to the masses by forming a company, Posit Science, that uses the findings of his research to provide games that enhance visual and auditory skills.

Now Posit wants to broaden its brain-boosting still further by creating a social networking site where anyone, whether in Karachi or Miami, can collaborate on cognitive training exercises. Players work together by exploring cities around the world to solve historical mysteries. After completion of brain exercises, they get additional pieces of a puzzle. The site, called Brain Odyssey, which launches Wednesday, allows the player to indulge for free, though as with some other similar sites, virtual goods can be purchased to further progress through the game. "We've done this because those 50 and over have doubled their use of social networking," says Steven Aldrich, the company's chief executive.

Of the dozens of companies that market brain games, Posit asserts that it has the most science underlying its brain exercises: A study published in 2009, for instance, showed that 242 healthy participants aged 65 years and older improved on measures of memory and attention after 40 hours of training more than a control group did. The study was conducted by researchers from Posit, the Mayo Clinic, the University of Southern California and other academic institutions.


On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.


Image credit: Posit Science

 

 

Gary Stix, Scientific American's neuroscience and psychology editor, commissions, edits and reports on emerging advances and technologies that have propelled brain science to the forefront of the biological sciences. Developments chronicled in dozens of cover stories, feature articles and news stories, document groundbreaking neuroimaging techniques that reveal what happens in the brain while you are immersed in thought; the arrival of brain implants that alleviate mood disorders like depression; lab-made brains; psychological resilience; meditation; the intricacies of sleep; the new era for psychedelic drugs and artificial intelligence and growing insights leading to an understanding of our conscious selves. Before taking over the neuroscience beat, Stix, as Scientific American's special projects editor, oversaw the magazine's annual single-topic special issues, conceiving of and producing issues on Einstein, Darwin, climate change, nanotechnology and the nature of time. The issue he edited on time won a National Magazine Award. Besides mind and brain coverage, Stix has edited or written cover stories on Wall Street quants, building the world's tallest building, Olympic training methods, molecular electronics, what makes us human and the things you should and should not eat. Stix started a monthly column, Working Knowledge, that gave the reader a peek at the design and function of common technologies, from polygraph machines to Velcro. It eventually became the magazine's Graphic Science column. He also initiated a column on patents and intellectual property and another on the genesis of the ingenious ideas underlying new technologies in fields like electronics and biotechnology. Stix is the author with his wife, Miriam Lacob, of a technology primer called Who Gives a Gigabyte: A Survival Guide to the Technologically Perplexed (John Wiley & Sons, 1999).

More by Gary Stix