A McGill University-led clinical trial is the first in humans to show online brain training exercises can improve brain networks affecting learning and memory.
The study found 10 weeks’ use of the game-like app BrainHQ by older adults enhanced cholinergic function, a chemical system in the brain that typically declines with age and influences attention, memory and decision-making.
“The training restored cholinergic health to levels typically seen in someone 10 years younger,” said senior author Dr. Etienne de Villers-Sidani, an Associate Professor in McGill’s Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery and neurologist at The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital).
“This is the first time any intervention, drug or non-drug, has been shown to do that in humans,” he said.
Alzheimer’s disease involves particularly steep declines in cholinergic health. This study offers a biochemical explanation of prior findings showing these exercises reduce dementia risk and boost cognition. The researchers say this training could offer a lower-risk alternative to medication or be used alongside it.