New Study Finds Working Memory Training Produces Lasting Improvements in Kids with Attention Deficits
Clinical psychologist uses neuropsychological measures to verify effectiveness of training after six months
Naperville, Ill. and Westlake Village, Ca., Nov. 29, 2007 - Stephen Bozylinski, Ph.D, a clinical psychologist and director of the ADHD Clinic of Southern California, released findings from a new open label study demonstrating the effectiveness of Cogmed Working Memory Training to sustainably improve attention and executive processing in children with ADHD. The study found that significant improvements in working memory, mental stamina, and inhibition and significant decreases in ADHD symptoms remained six to eight months after the training. The research supports and augments previous placebo-controlled and peer reviewed findings from Sweden’s Karolinska Institute that revealed a breakthrough in the way attention problems are understood and treated. Cogmed – www.cogmed.com - is a pioneer in neurotechnology and a developer of software-based working memory training products.
Bozylinski, a Cogmed qualified practitioner, studied 35 ADHD children ranging in age from seven to 17 years, who were trained on the Cogmed Working Memory Training program. The students used video-game software developed by Cogmed to perform verbal and spatial working memory tasks five days a week, for five weeks. Each student was screened positively for ADHD based on a battery of neuropsychological tests. The tests were applied to all 35 children before training and four weeks after training, with more than 90 percent demonstrating significant improvements. The same tests were also applied to 17 of the children six to eight months after training, with 80 percent retaining significant improvements. In addition, parent behavior checklists were also administered with results showing significant improvement in impulsivity, task initiation, working memory, and planning. The children were assessed while off their medication.
“The findings validate that working memory training makes significant and lasting improvements in the lives of students who suffer from attention problems,” said Bozylinski. “This is very promising for a range of people who would otherwise struggle with these debilitating issues for the rest of their lives.”
“We are very proud that Cogmed continues to be the subject of meticulous evaluation and research,” said Jonas Jendi, chief executive officer of Cogmed. “Dr. Bozylinski’s work confirms that working memory training improves a person’s daily life for a long period of time, well beyond the duration of the training.”
Bozylinski presented the results during the CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) annual conference in Crystal City, Virginia on November 8th. For more information about the study, please contact Charles Thornton at 630-310-5190 or cthornton@sheffieldcompany.com
About Cogmed
Cogmed has made a breakthrough discovery that individuals can train and improve their working memory, a key function of the brain that allows individuals to store information for brief periods of time. Cogmed Working Memory Training helps people with attention deficits improve focus, impulse control and complex problem solving. Through a combination of software-based working memory exercises and personal coaching, participants engage in a challenging computer program at home. More than 80 percent of those who have completed Cogmed’s rigorous and rewarding training have demonstrated tangible and lasting improvements. Cogmed’s program has been validated by high-impact research in controlled scientific studies at the Karolinska Institute, a world-renowned medical university based in Stockholm, Sweden. A leader in the emerging field of neurotechnology, Cogmed was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Naperville, IL. Cogmed’s services are provided by a growing network of more than 60 expert practices around the U.S and Canada.
