Computerized Cognitive Training Is Beneficial for Older Adults

Research efforts to determine whether computerized cognitive training (CCT) benefits cognition in older adults have spanned more than two decades and dozens of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) encompassing thousands of participants. The wealth of evidence from such trials allows us to determine not only whether CCT is an efficacious intervention to improve cognition, but also what cognitive domains are likely to respond and what training regimens are likely to yield the greatest effects. Despite this empirical database, the efficacy of CCT remains controversial in the scientific community, and both sides of the debate encourage further research. In our opinion, the “brain training debate” has become a vehicle for point scoring rather than productive evaluation of a cognitive intervention. Ideally, research should focus on establishing a coherent research agenda for clinical implementation and developing guidelines for regulation of commercial products as medical devices under federal law.