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What is BrainHQ?
Think of BrainHQ, our online brain-training program developed by Posit Science, as your headquarters for brain exercises. In the same way you need to take care of your body with exercise, your brain also requires exercise as you age. BrainHQ is your own personal gymnasium where, instead of working out your delts, abs, and quads, you exercise your memory, brain speed, attention, intelligence, people skills, and navigation skills. BrainHQ brain-training program provides you with the exercise your brain requires in order to be at its sharpest.
BrainHQ's Brain exercises have been proven in more than 100 different journal articles about healthy aging and, although the online version is fairly new, the exercises actually evolved out of award-winning brain fitness programs previously developed by Posit Science called “Brain Fitness Program” and “InSight”.
Who is Posit Science?
Posit Science, a company founded by University of California at San Francisco neuroscientist Dr. Michael Merzenich, is responsible for building and managing BrainHQ. Posit Science has multiple brain experts on staff and an advisory board filled with dozens of additional experts. Click here to learn more about Posit Science.
Brain Fitness Program (auditory processing), InSight (visual processing), and DriveSharp (brain training program to improve safe driving) are the original products developed by Posit Science. DriveSharp continues to be available and is offered to customers by several auto insurance companies.
What are the benefits of using BrainHQ?
Countless benefits can be experienced in your everyday life by improving your brain’s performance. BrainHQ has been shown through both scientific studies and stories from our customers to sharpen attention, enhance memory, and speed up thinking. The impact of these benefits can be observed in real-world situations, increased feelings of confidence in conversations to driving more safely. You can read about benefits that our users have observed by clicking here. To review a description of the 12 most commonly perceived benefits of BrainHQ you can click here. To read a description of relevant scientific studies and their overall results you can click here.
How are the benefits of BrainHQ achieved?
The best ideas from cognitive scientists around the world have been brought to BrainHQ in order to maximize the power of every single exercise. The technologies within the BrainHQ exercises are covered by over one hundred patents so it can be daunting to comprehensively explain how they work.
A handful of powerful ideas are the basis for the BrainHQ exercises. These exercises do not attempt to fix a problem with memory, for example, by simply practicing memory - unlike other cognitive training. The BrainHQ exercises begin with elemental cognitive function by first focusing on improvement of the accuracy and speed of your sensory perceptions, which becomes the foundation for the improvement of attention. Improved attention is the building block of working memory, and working memory is the building block of many other things including:
- Immediate memory
- Episodic memory
- Delayed memory
- Reasoning
- Executive function
- Speech and language
- Visual-spatial skills
No other brain exercise program has previously taken this comprehensive bottom-up approach to cognitive training.
As well, our Posit Science scientists are brain plasticity experts who truly understand the brain’s ability to change and re-wire itself. Each BrainHQ exercise draws on what these experts have learned in recent years about driving change in the brain. Brain training must:
- Meet real-world conditions by focusing on improving speed.
- Improve accuracy both progressively and intensively.
- Continuously and minutely adapt to the performance of each individual.
- Gradually generalize to real-world experience.
- Stimulate neurotransmitters (chemicals found in the brain which enhance mood, attention, and learning).
- Motivate you to complete the exercises over and over again.
Have studies been published that prove BrainHQ works?
The short answer is yes. The longer answer is that the impact of Posit Science brain training exercises have been reported in dozens of journal articles reporting on adults who are aging normally. These studies have indicated that Posit Science’s technology found in BrainHQ improves not only important standard measures of cognitive function (including attention, speed of processing, memory, and accuracy of processing), they also improve important standard measures for quality of life (including feelings of control, functional independence, health-related quality of life, and depressive symptoms). These studies had statistically significant results, had randomized controlled trials (the same type of design that is used in drug trials), were blinded, and have been in journals that are peer-reviewed. Independent researches with no financial support from Posit Science were responsible for conducting the vast majority of the studies. To learn more about these studies click here.
Few companies who sell brain training products have undergone any clinical testing which makes BrainHQ’s level of proof extremely unique among brain fitness companies. In fact, to date, no other brain fitness company has been subjected to this degree of peer-reviewed, multiple independent studies – with additional studies underway. To learn more about our studies you can click here.
What is the cost of BrainHQ?
Our first level of select BrainHQ exercises can be accessed free of charge for as long and often as you’d like. In order to experience the benefits of accessing BrainHQ’s full range of exercises you may pay an annual fee of $120 or a monthly fee of $17. You can purchase a subscription here.
Does BrainHQ require a lot of time?
You can spend as little as two minutes with BrainHQ or as much time as you’d like. Following the basic guidelines for general exercise (3 times per week for 30 minutes each time) would be a good rule of thumb. In our estimation, any training is better than none at all!
Which BrainHQ exercises should I use?
Start with the exercises in the category that reflect what you most want to improve: memory, brain speed, attention, intelligence, people skills or navigation. However, it’s important to note that the exercises are actually complementary to one another and by working on improving in one category you will most likely experience enhancements in another domain. Since increasing the speed with which the brain can work with information is the foundation for all other cognitive skills we often recommend that people begin their training with Brain Speed.
Available categories of BrainHQ exercises?
BrainHQ offers a wide variety of exercises that are organized into six main categories: Brain Speed, Memory, People Skills, Attention, Navigation, and Intelligence. You can learn more about these categories or about the individual BrainHQ exercise by clicking here.
When Am I Done with BrainHQ?
You can take a break from BrainHQ whenever you reach your personal brain health goals – whether you are aiming to improve your memory, sharpen your focus, develop greater self-confidence, or something completely different. The positive effects of BrainHQ have been shown in studies to last as long as 5 years! You can always return to BrainHQ whenever you feel you need a refresher.
Is BrainHQ right for me?
BrainHQ’s exercises dynamically adapt to different skill levels to ensure your brain is always being challenged to improve. And in fact, the brain functions in almost all adults can be improved through BrainHQ training.
How do I get started with BrainHQ?
You can click here to access BrainHQ or, if you are already registered, you can log in again here.
Further questions?
If you have any additional questions you’d like to have answered please visit our contact page.
