Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34251578›Full record

SynthesisNeuropsychology review2022

A Game a Day Keeps Cognitive Decline Away? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Commercially-Available Brain Training Programs in Healthy and Cognitively Impaired Older Adults.

Lan Nguyen, Karen Murphy, Glenda Andrews

Registry-linked trialAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Neuropsychology review, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06598163 (Efficacy of a Digital Health App Five Lives MED to Improve Cognitive Function in Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment), which is not on this map. Cited by 43 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
43citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT06598163 narecruitingnot on this mapstarted 2025, after this paper: background citation

Efficacy of a Digital Health App Five Lives MED to Improve Cognitive Function in Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment: a Randomised Controlled Trial

TypeinterventionalSponsorSharpTxRan2025 to 2026Enrolled170ConditionsMild Cognitive ImpairmentArmsFive Lives MED
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

43 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  10. Home-based physical exercice with additional cognitive training for improving mobility in older adults: a secondary analysis of the COVEPIC randomized controlled trial.European review of aging and physical activity : official journal of the European Group for Research into Elderly and Physical Activity · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Lan NguyenSchool of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD 4222, Australia. Lan.Nguyen3@griffithuni.edu.au.ORCID 0000-0003-1355-2050
Karen MurphySchool of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD 4222, Australia.
Glenda AndrewsSchool of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD 4222, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The rising prevalence rates of age-related cognitive impairment are a worldwide public concern, bringing about a surge in the number of "brain training" programs commercially available to the general public. Numerous companies advertise that their products improve memory and protect against cognitive decline, though researchers have voiced concerns regarding the validity of such claims. To address this issue, the current meta-analytic investigation examined evidence from 43 studies (encompassing 2,636 participants) to evaluate the efficacy of commercial training programs within two separate populations: healthy older adults and older adults with mild cognitive-impairment (MCI). Seven programs were identified: BrainGymmer, BrainHQ, CogMed, CogniFit, Dakim, Lumosity, and MyBrainTrainer. Analyses yielded small, significant near-transfer effects for both healthy and MCI samples. Far-transfer was not observed for the MCI sample, whereas a small, significant effect was found for subjective but not objective measures of far-transfer in the healthy sample. Analyses of individual domains (combining near-and far-transfer outcomes) yielded significant transfer to executive-functioning, memory, and processing-speed in healthy older adults. After adjusting for publication bias, only the effect size for processing speed remained significant. Transfer to attention, objective everyday functioning, fluid-intelligence, and visuospatial domains was not significant. Thus, whilst "brain training" may be suitable for enjoyment and entertainment purposes, there is currently insufficient empirical evidence to support that such training can improve memory, general cognition, or everyday functioning. This area of research is still in its infancy and warrants further investigation to provide more substantial evidence regarding the efficacy of this rapidly expanding industry.

Indexed as

Cognitive DysfunctionAgedBrainCognitionExecutive FunctionHumansBrain trainingCognitive agingCognitive trainingMeta-analysisOlder adultsTransfer

Identifiers

PMID34251578

What OpenQuestion holds

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Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.