Online BrainHQ Training Program Boosts Cognition in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis, NYU Study Shows

Patricia Silva, PhD avatar

by Patricia Silva, PhD |

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The onlineĀ BrainHQĀ adaptive training program developed by Posit Science is better than any computer game at helping multiple sclerosis (MS) patients improve their cognitive skills, according to a study by researchers at New York University (NYU).

The study,Ā ā€œCognitive function in multiple sclerosis improves with telerehabilitation: Results from a randomized controlled trial,ā€ appearedĀ in the journalĀ PLOS ONE.

Up to 70 percent of MS patients suffer cognitive impairment ā€” affecting information processing, attention and learning ā€” yet adequate treatments are lacking. Traditional rehabilitation programs in MS, such as compensatory strategies and drill-and-practice training are costly to administer in-person and require patients to travel to appointments.

In the trial (NCT02141386), researchers at NYU Langone Medical CenterĀ and NYUā€™s MS Comprehensive Care Centers enrolled 135 patients atĀ Stony Brook Medicine; 74 were assigned to use the BrainHQ training, while 61 were given ordinary computer games.Ā Patients trained an hour a day, five days a week for a total of 60 hours over a 12-week period.

Compliance was high in both groups, with the computer games group averaging 57 hours and the brain-training group averaging 38 hours. After 12 weeks, both groups showed improvement, asĀ measured by changes in the neuropsychological Composite Score ā€”a battery of tests that served as a primary outcome.

However, participants in the BrainHQ training program had farĀ greater improvement in cognitive functioning than those who trained with normal computer games, even thoughĀ they trained for one-third the time. The group gained about 29 percent in the overall cognitive composite score.

As a secondary measure, patients were asked to self-assess whether they feltĀ any improvement in cognition.Ā Of those who trained with the BrainHQ program, 56.7 percent said they had improved, compared Ā to 31 percent in the ordinary computer games group.

ā€œThis trial demonstrates that computer-based cognitive remediation accessed from home can be effective in improving cognitive symptoms for individuals with MS,ā€ Leigh Charvet, the studyā€™s lead author, said in a news release. ā€œThe remote delivery of an at-home test and findings of cognitive benefit may also be generalizable to other neurological conditions in which cognitive function is compromised.ā€

Added Henry Mahncke, CEO of San Francisco-based Posit Science: ā€œWe are encouraged by this publication of results by independent researchers in yet another clinical population. With the assistance of other researchers and investors, these results will play a part in our plan to bring digital therapies to market after obtaining appropriate regulatory approvals.ā€