Brain training

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So-called brain training is a training of mental performance with the aim of maintaining or increasing this performance. Brain training as a method is age-independent.

Brain jogging / mental activation training

Brain jogging is a name for special mental exercises. The term was essentially coined by Siegfried Lehrl from the University of Erlangen who specified this training in 1992 under the expression "Mental Activation Training" (= MAT). Later, "brain-friendly" physical measures from the areas of nutrition, exercise, sleep and sensory stimulation were added to support the mental support measures and this concept, which combines mental and physical measures, has been called "brain tuning" since 2013. The somatic measures, whose beneficial influence on mental performance has been scientifically proven, are considered “brain-friendly”. The mental exercises and physical measures are aimed at bringing the “ working memory ” or its two components, the information processing speed (IVG) and memory span , to an “optimal” “activation level”. The prerequisite for the effect is that the practitioner is not yet in an optimal state of activation at the beginning.

Among the mental measures to promote the working memory, the MAT has the purpose of mental warming-up, which takes about four minutes for sleepy people and about two minutes for relaxed, awake people. The other two measures, which are also part of working memory training , are: being mentally active in the upper limit range of mental performance and shutting down the working memory again to relax (cooling-down).

The expression "brain jogging" became known primarily through Frank Berchem, who wrote several books about "brain jogging". Also a console game called Dr. Kawashima's brain jogging is on the market.

Brain jogging and further development, mental activation training and brain tuning is an important concern of the Gesellschaft für brain training e. V.

Efficacy studies

The effects have been proven by controlled studies of the working memory and its two components. With regard to the latter, for example, 411 “healthy” people between 28 and 86 years of age who took part in eight meetings with an interval of one week showed the same percentage increases for the IVG and memory range. The increases in performance in both variables were highly significant, while controls had no improvements. As desired accompanying effects, the trained participants also increased their joie de vivre, self-confidence, interest in what is happening in the world and communication skills.

Many other studies were also not content with just checking the effectiveness of the trained performance parameters. They also examined whether there was a transfer, e.g. B. on the results in psychometric tests, which demanded completely different performance, or it recorded personality traits and current personal conditions. Of course, they were also interested in whether the training had an impact on everyday life.

In some of the studies, the working memory or its two components were trained. Probably the oldest of these studies on people who did not show neuropsychiatric symptoms was published in 1986. It showed that 50 to 70 year olds increased their level of fluid intelligence (measured with the Raven Test SPM) by 13 to 15 IQ points by doing daily brain jogging exercises for two weeks and also increased their communication skills. In contrast, there were no changes in a control group over the same period. Changes were also found in the personality test EPI according to Eysenck: the test subjects proved to be more psychologically stable at the end of the training.

Oswald et al. found in their trainings, which u. a. Exercises for the IVG and memory span included transfers to the fluid intelligence, measured with the number connection test . Similar exercises were used to determine transfers on attentional performance, word-finding speed and math performance.

The cited studies are not included in the overview by Michelle E. Kelly et al. More than 31 examinations are listed, which included exercises of the IVG and memory span and measured the success of the training. In addition to the effects in the trained variables, the authors also found transfers to other mental variables and to everyday functions. It was also shown that the improvements were still detectable weeks and months after the end of the training (sustainability).

The following studies included either IVG or memory span training, not both together. IVG's training has a beneficial and lasting effect on the speed and complexity of information processing in everyday life. After a few short refresher training sessions, effects including transfer effects in everyday life could be found even ten years after the first training session. Among other things, the IVG training was followed by an increased sense of health and reduced health costs. In other studies, IVG training made older drivers more fit to drive and reduced accidents. In general, IVG training courses promote fitness to drive.

Takeuchi et al. showed that training the speed of mental processes also causes changes in the brain.

In the studies cited, transfers to the memory range were typically not reported, and vice versa, either (see below). This can be explained by the fact that, according to the conception, the two basic variables of information processing do not overlap in meaning and are also assigned to independent networks in the brain.

In studies, training of the memory span led to transfer effects on the interference test according to Stroop and the progressive matrix test for fluid intelligence according to Raven .

Jaeggi et al. claimed in 2008 that practicing with so-called " n-back " tasks can increase fluid intelligence, measurably with various standard tests. The methodology of this paper has been criticized by David Moody. Jacky Au et al. published a meta-analysis of 20 studies in 2015. The community of authors confirms the results of Jaeggi et al.

In a review by Takeuchi et al. In which 18 relevant studies were taken into account, it was found for 16 of the studies that exercises of the memory span also promote other variables, for example concentrating on important things, thinking complexly and being creative. In addition, the exercises have lasting effects that are still detectable several months after about three weeks of training.

In adults who trained the “working memory” for three to four weeks, it was found with the help of imaging procedures that the training enabled the brain to react more quickly and more comprehensively to new tasks and that it changed itself in the process. From a neurobiochemical point of view, it is significant that the work memory training increases the density of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the prefrontal brain.

According to a report from the University of Münster, mental activity is particularly necessary in old age to maintain mental performance. According to the report, it has been shown that mental stress reduces the number and extent of the typical protein deposits (plaques) associated with Alzheimer's disease . Behavioral studies showed correspondingly significantly better memory performance.

On the criticism of brain jogging

The difficulty with criticizing brain jogging is that the use of the term is not protected. Shortly after being introduced through scientific work (e.g. advances in medicine, neurology), it was used under many meanings such as "being mentally active", "solving crossword puzzles", "achieving high mental performance", "being competent in mathematics" etc. For this reason, many criticisms, in ignorance of the concept presented in scientific works and the available results of the scientific studies, refer to statements by people who did not belong to the narrow circle of developers of the original brain jogging. Many neuropsychologists, for example, question the effectiveness of so-called "brain jogging". It is true that one can improve in the specific exercises, but evidence of everyday relevance of the practiced is pending. Critics argue that the clumsy analogy to building muscle through training does not work in the complex organ brain. Reference is made to school lessons, in which stubborn scrambling for example long vocabulary lists usually leads to less lasting learning success than learning with enthusiasm for content.

The TV magazine Bang Goes The Theory , which is jointly produced by the BBC and The Open University and specializes in testing scientific theories, conducted a six-week study on 11,430 people in 2010, some of whom at least every day Do ten minutes of brain jogging. The study came to the result that the people doing brain jogging were able to gradually solve the brain jogging tasks better than the comparison persons, but outside of this there was no significant improvement in their cognitive performance compared to the comparison persons.

Physical changes in the muscles caused by training are neither equated with changes in the brain, nor is stubborn buffalos recommended for or in school lessons, because this runs counter to the knowledge of brain tuning.

The large BBC study, the results of which were disseminated in the German-speaking area under the heading “brain jogging”, have nothing to do with the original meaning of the word, because they refer to high-performance mental exercises. In addition, it is not clear who the participants in the study represent in the population: Of the 52,617 participants who were enrolled in the study and were recruited through a science program, only about 22% completed the study. About 80% of these were women. The participants who held out to the end had participated in up to 188 (average: 24) sessions during the six-week training period. Nothing was known about her condition at the beginning of each session - relaxed, fully awake, tense, exhausted. However, the exercises must be acutely coordinated with this. Because of the serious methodological deficiencies of this BBC study, the gain in knowledge is generally doubtful.

In a public letter from 2014, 75 scientists from the fields of psychology and neuroscience commented on the state of research and the sometimes exaggerated claims made by providers of brain training programs. In this letter, you emphasize that from the perspective of the scientific community, some of the conclusions drawn from the scientific work, which the brain training industry is specifically promoting, are not justified. The changes brought about by brain training do not differ significantly from the skills learned. There is no clear evidence that brain training affects a wide range of relevant skills in everyday life or that it is generally beneficial for maintaining brain health.

See also

literature

  • Brain jogging³ - always be on the ball! , Compact Verlag GmbH, Munich 2011, ISBN 978-3-8174-8569-7 .
  • Siegfried Lehrl , Maria Lehrl, Elisabeth Weickmann: MAT Brain Jogging, Vol. 2, 42 exercise units: Basic exercises for mental activation training. 42 practice units. Vless 1994, ISBN 3-88562-061-8 .
  • Michael Scanlon, Kunal Sarkar, David Drescher: Improvement of Visual Attention and Working Memory through a Web-based Cognitive Training Program. 2008.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Siegfried Lehrl, Bernd Fischer, Wolfgang Eissenhauer, Horst Abraham: Brain jogging. In: Advances in Medicine. 101 (1983) pp. 1217-1218, 1259.
  2. ↑ Siegfried Lehrl, Bernd Fischer: Increase in intellectual performance in old age. In: Neurology. 5 (1986) pp. 173-181.
  3. ^ Siegfried Lehrl, Peter Sturm: Brain-Tuning: faster - smarter - more concentrated. Because your brain can do more. BusinessVillage, Göttingen 2013
  4. ↑ Dennis John, Siegfried Lehrl, Annette Scheder: All-round fit - also in the head. Examination of a fitness program. In: Mentally Fit. 25 (3), 2015, pp. 3–5.
  5. ↑ a b Wolfgang Weidenhammer, Heinz Glowacki, Elmar Gräßel : How do you carry out cerebral training in practice and what has proven itself? In: Pregeriatrics-Geriatrics-Rehabilitation 2 (1986) pp. 66-76.
  6. ↑ Wolf Dieter Oswald , Roland Rupprecht, Thomas Gunzelmann: Effects of a one-year memory, competence and psychomotor training on performance in old age. In: A. Kruse (Ed.) Psychosocial Gerontology - Intervention. (Volume 2, pp. 94-107). Hogrefe, Göttingen 1998.
  7. ↑ Michael Scanlon, Kunal Sarkar, David Drescher: Improvement of Visual Attention and Working Memory through a Web-based Cognitive Training Program. A Lumos Labs White Paper. 2007.
  8. ↑ Michelle E. Kelly, David Loughrey, Brian A. Lawlor, Ian H. Robertson, Cathal Walsh, Sabina Brennan (2014) The impact of cognitive training and mental stimulation on cognitive and everyday functioning of healthy older adults: a systematic review and meta -analysis. In: Aging Res Rev 15: 28-43.
  9. ↑ Sherry L. Willis, Sharon L. Tennstedt, Michael Marsiske, et al .: Long-Term Effects of Cognitive Training on Everyday Functional Outcomes in Older Adults. In: Journal of the American Medical Association 296 (23) 2006 pp. 2805-2814.
  10. ↑ George W. Rebok, Karlene Ball, Lin T. Guey et al .; ACTIVE Study Group (2014) Ten-year effects of the advanced cognitive training for independent and vital elderly cognitive training trial on cognition and everyday functioning in older adults. In: J Am Geriatr Soc. 62 (1), pp. 16-24.
  11. ↑ Fredric D. Wolinsky, Henry Mahncke, Mark W. Vander Weg et al. (2010) Speed ​​of processing training protects self-rated health in older adults: enduring effects observed in the multi-site ACTIVE randomized controlled trial. In: International Psychogeriatrics . 22: pp. 470-478.
  12. ↑ Jerri D. Edwards, Charlsie Myers, Lesley A. Ross, Daniel L. Roenker, Gayla M. Cissell, Alexis M. McLaughlin, Karlene K. Ball: The Longitudinal Impact of Cognitive Speed ​​of Processing Training on Driving Mobility . In: The Gerontologist . tape 49 , no. 4 , August 1, 2009, ISSN  1758-5341 , p. 485-494 , doi : 10.1093 / geront / gnp042 ( oxfordjournals.org ).
  13. ↑ Karlene Ball, Jerri D. Edwards, Lesley A. Ross, Jr., Gerald McGwin: Cognitive Training Decreases Motor Vehicle Collision Involvement of Older Drivers . In: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society . tape 58 , no. 11 , November 1, 2010, ISSN  1532-5415 , p. 2107-2113 , doi : 10.1111 / j.1532-5415.2010.03138.x ( wiley.com ).
  14. ↑ Daniel L. Roenker, Gayla M. Cissell, Karlene K. Ball et al. (2003) Speed-of-processing and driving simulator training result in improved driving performance. In: Human Factors. 45 (2), pp. 218-233.
  15. ↑ Hikaru Takeuchi, Yasuyuki Taki, Hiroshi Hashizume, Yuko Sassa, Tomomi Nagase, Rui Nouchi, Ryuta Kawashima: Effects of Training of Processing Speed ​​on Neural Systems . In: The Journal of Neuroscience . tape 31 , no. 34 , ISSN  1529-2401 , p. 12139-12148 , doi : 10.1523 / JNEUROSCI.2948-11.2011 ( jneurosci.org ).
  16. ↑ Helmar Frank (1960) About basic propositions of information psychology. In: basic study Kybern Geisteswiss. 1: pp. 25-32.
  17. ↑ a b Hikaru Takeuchi, Yasuyuki Taki, Ryūta Kawashima : Effects of working memory training on cognitive functions and neural systems. Rev Neurosci 21 (6), 2010, pp. 427-449.
  18. ↑ Torkel Klingberg, Elisabeth Fernell, Pernille J. Olesen et al .: Computerized Training of Working Memory in Children With ADHD - A Randomized, Controlled Trial. In: J Am Acad Child Adolsc Psychiatry. 44 (2005) pp. 177-186.
  19. ^ Susanne M. Jaeggi, Martin Buschkuehl, John Jonides, Walter J. Perrig: Improving fluid intelligence with training on working memory. In: PNAS 105 (19), 2008, pp. 6829-6833.
  20. ↑ M. Rosario Rueda, Mary K. Rothbart, Bruce D. McCandliss, Lisa Saccamanno, Michael I. Posner: Training, maturation and genetic influences on the development of executive attention. In: PNAS 102, 2005, pp. 14931-14936.
  21. ^ Susanne M. Jaeggi, Martin Buschkuehl, John Jonides, Walter J. Perrig: Improving fluid intelligence with training on working memory . In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences . tape 105 , no. 19 , May 13, 2008, ISSN  1091-6490 , p. 6829-6833 , doi : 10.1073 / pnas.0801268105 , PMID 18443283 .
  22. ^ David E. Moody: Can intelligence be increased by training on a task of working memory? In: Intelligence . tape 37 , no. 4 , July 2009, p. 327-328 , doi : 10.1016 / j.intell.2009.04.005 ( sciencedirect.com ).
  23. ^ J. Au, E. Sheehan, N. Tsai et al .: Improving fluid intelligence with training on working memory: a meta-analysis. In: Psychonomic Bulletin And Review . 22 (2), 2015, pp. 366-377.
  24. ↑ Pernille J. Olesen, Helena Westerberberg, Torkel Klingberg: Increased prefrontal and parietal activity after training of workings memory. In: Nature Neuroscience Dec. 14, 2003, pp. 1-5.
  25. Jump up ↑ Fiona McNab, Andrea Varrone, Lars Farde, Aurelija Jucaite, Paulina Bystritsky, Hans Forssberg, Torkel Klingberg: Changes in Cortical Dopamine D1 Receptor Binding Associated with Cognitive Training. In: Science 323 (5915), 2009, pp. 800-802.
  26. ↑ Bärbel Schwertfeger: Getting older in the job of brain jogging? It is pointless. In: Spiegel Online. February 12, 2015, accessed on February 12, 2015 (interview with Martin Meyer).
  27. ↑ Brain training doesn't boost brain power, work suggests . BBC News ; Retrieved June 7, 2010, (English).
  28. ^ Adrian M. Owen, Adam Hampshire, Jessica A. Grahn et al .: Putting brain training to the test. In: Nature 465, 2010, pp. 775-778.
  29. ^ A Consensus on the Brain Training Industry from the Scientific Community website of the Stanford Center on Longevity, October 20, 2014, accessed on September 14, 2015, (English).