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DynamicBrain Inc.
Monday March 27, 2023
New results from a large 10-year study show fall risk and incidence in older adults can be significantly reduced through a modest amount of a particular kind of computerized brain training. The brain training used in the research is found exclusively in BrainHQ app, made by Posit Science and provided in Canada by their Canadian partner DynamicBrain.
“While many believe that falls among older adults stem only from physical failures, such as tripping or legs giving way, these new 10-year results from the ACTIVE Study researchers show – for the first time – that rewiring the brain can help people stay on their feet and reduce the number of real-world falls by at-risk seniors,” said Dr Henry Mahncke, CEO of Posit Science.
It turns out that brain speed is a major risk factor for falls. The brain begins to slow down by very small amounts (measured in milliseconds – thousandths of a second) in your 20s. With each passing decade, the slowing grows, but may not be noticeable until one’s 40s or 50s, when you find yourself increasingly pausing to think of a word. The same sort of slowing also impacts your processing speed and reaction time related to movement.
Multiple studies have shown that slower visual processing speed leads to higher fall risk and more injurious falls, as well as lower walking safety and lower observed mobility performance.
However, the good news is that scientists have shown that brain processing speed can be improved with the right brain exercises.
The ACTIVE Study enrolled a racially diverse group of 2,802 older adults from six areas of the US. Participants were randomly assigned to a control group or three different cognitive training groups – memory, reasoning or speed-of-processing. Each intervention participant did an hour of training, twice a week, for five weeks at the beginning of the study, and the participants has since been tracked, with the resulting data used in various scientific papers.
The newest results look at the number of falls over 10 years. Participants were surveyed on many topics, including whether they had fallen, and based on those responses, researchers classified participants as low risk (2,360 participants) or high risk (442 participants). Analysis showed no significance difference in fall risk when looking at the low-risk group. However, analysis of the high-risk group showed a significant, 31 percent, lower risk of falls among the speed-of-processing group, as compared to the control. Results of the other two interventions were not deemed significant by the authors.
Earlier studies have shown BrainHQ exercises improve key measures of fall risk; for example, a pair of studies showed improvements in mobility (including time to get up from a chair and walk), balance (including standing on one foot), and gait (including walking speed) . Those studies predicted BrainHQ exercises would reduce real-world falls – and the authors concluded that the latest results from this large-scale trial confirm that prediction. (Cognitive Training among Cognitively Impaired Older Adults & Impact of Cognitive Training on Balance and Gait in Older Adults)
“Think about losing your balance and starting to fall,” Mahncke explains. “Your head suddenly begins to move through space in a downward direction, alerting your brain’s visual and balance systems that you are about to fall. By speeding up the brain, you get extra time (measurable in split-seconds) to process that information and regain your footing. Extra time can make the difference between staying on your feet – or crashing to the ground.”
There are more than more than 200 published studies of the exercises in BrainHQ which have shown benefits, including gains in standard measures of cognition (attention, speed, memory, executive function), in standard measures of quality of life (mood, confidence and control, managing stress, health-related quality of life) and in real world activities (gait, balance, driving, work). BrainHQ is now offered in the US, without charge, as a benefit by leading national and 5-star Medicare Advantage plans and by hundreds of clinics and communities. In Canada, it is offered by the Quebec Federation of Alzheimer Societies and numerous health institutions, rehab, hearing and vision centres. Consumers can also try BrainHQ for free at https://dynamicbrain.brainhq.com.
About Posit Science
Posit Science is the leading provider of clinically proven brain fitness training. Its exercises, available in Canada in English at dynamicbrain.brainhq.com and in French globally at dynamicbrain-fr.brainhq.com, have been shown to significantly improve brain speed, attention, memory and numerous standard measures of quality of life in multiple studies published in more than 200 peer-reviewed articles in leading science and medical journals. Three public television documentaries as well as numerous stories on news programs, in national magazines, and in major newspapers have featured Posit Science’s work. The company’s science team is led by renowned neuroscientist Michael Merzenich, PhD.
About DynamicBrain
DynamicBrain is the Canadian partner of Posit Science, providing Canadians and French-speaking people around the globe with brain training and cognitive exercises that are backed by strong science, and improve a person’s quality of life through six key pillars: Attention, Memory, Brain Speed, Navigation, People Skills, and Intelligence (dynamicbrain.brainhq.com and dynamicbrain-fr.brainhq.com). DynamicBrain is passionate about health and new forms of cognitive training with a clear focus on educating the public on the vital importance of improving brain fitness as part of a balanced, healthy lifestyle. (www.dynamicbrain.ca)
Source: Longevity.Technology
