Posts Tagged ‘positscience’

Sharp Brains Brain Fitness Market Report – 2009

Tuesday, May 5th, 2009

Below I have reproduced from www.sharpbrains.com its highlights of its 2009 Brain Fitness Market report.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect for me to note as a provider of an affordable brain training product are the statistics of satisfaction and value for money:

These are the stats for the question, “I got real value for money”

Lumosity.com – 65% Agree

Puzzle Books – 60% Agree

Posit Science – 52% Agree

Nintendo – 51% Agree

And for “I have seen the results I wanted”

Posit Science – 53% Agree

Lumosity.com – 51% Agree

Puzzle Books – 39% Agree

Nintendo  – 38% Agree

Here are the highlights in full…

Top Highlights from The State of the Brain Fitness Software Market 2009 Report

1) Growth market: Consumers, seniors’ communities and insurance providers drove year on year sustained growth, from $225m in 2007 to $265m in 2008. Revenues may reach between $1 billion to $5 billion by 2015, depending on how important problems (Public Awareness, Navigating Claims, Research, Health Culture, Lack of Assessment) are addressed.

2) Increased interest and confusion: 61% of respondents Strongly Agree with the statement “Addressing cognitive and brain health should be a healthcare priority.” But, 65% Agree/Strongly Agree “I don’t really know what to expect from products making brain claims.”

3) Investment in R&D seeds future growth: Landmark investments by insurance providers and government-funded research institutes testing new brain fitness applications planted new seeds for future growth.

4) Becoming standard in residential facilities: Over 700 residential facilities – mostly Independent and Assisted Living facilities and CCRCs – have installed computerized cognitive training programs.

5) Customer satisfaction: Consumers seem more satisfied with computer-based products than paper-based options. But, satisfaction differs by product. When asked “I got real value for my money”, results were as follows: Lumosity.com (65% Agree), Puzzle Books (60%), Posit Science (52%), Nintendo (51%) agreed. Posit Science (53% Agree) and Lumosity.com (51%) do better than Puzzle Books (39%) and Nintendo (38%) at “I have seen the results I wanted.”

6) Assessments: Increasing adoption of computer-based cognitive assessments to baseline and track cognitive functions over time in military, sports, and clinical contexts. The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America now advocates for widespread cognitive screenings after 65-75.

7) Specific computerized cognitive training and videogames have been shown to improve brain functions, but the key questions are, “Which ones”, and “Who needs what when?”

8) Aggressive marketing claims are creating confusion and skepticism, resulting in a distracting controversy between two misleading extremes: (a) “buying product XYZ can rejuvenate your brain Y years” or (b) “those products don’t work; just do one more crossword puzzle.” The upcoming book The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness aims to help consumers navigate these claims.

9) Developers can be classified into four groups, based on our Market and Research Momentum analysis: we find 4 Leaders, 8 High Potentials, 3 Crosswords 2.0, and 6 Wait & See companies.

10) Increased differentiation: Leading companies are better defining their value proposition and distribution channels to reach specific segments such as retirement communities, schools, or healthcare providers.

Related links:

Lumosity Review

Cogmed Review

Posit Science Review

Posit Science Brain Fitness Study

Monday, September 1st, 2008

Ann Arbor News reports on a study of 524 people, age 65 to 93, using the PositScience Brain Fitness program. The study found:

  • delayed onset of significant brain deficits for up to 10 years or regain of 10 years of lost ability
  • 90 percent of Brain Fitness users reached brain processing speeds typical of people under 40
  • improvements in clinical tests of memory, focus and complex thinking
  • > 75 percent reports of benefits in daily life, including remembering a shopping list without writing it down, hearing conversations in noisy restaurants more clearly and feeling more independent

Now, why am I writing about Posit Science when this is the Mind Sparke Brain Fitness blog?

Two reasons:

1. Mind Sparke Brain Fitness Pro uses the only brain training method that has been scientifically proven through academic research to increase brain power.

2. The Posit Science Brain Fitness product costs several hundred dollars whereas Mind Sparke Brain Fitness Pro costs less than $50. (The difference can be attributed largely to lower overhead.)