Brain training showdown: 1,600 volunteers test if puzzles boost memory
NCT ID NCT06375681
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study will enroll 1,600 healthy adults (ages 18-30 or 60-85) to see if doing computer-based cognitive tasks—like remembering sequences or spotting patterns—can improve memory, attention, and thinking skills. Participants will complete up to 15 hours of tasks over 4-8 weeks. The goal is to measure changes in working memory and cognitive flexibility, not to treat any disease.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- cognitive tasks (visual and auditory exercises on a computer)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could show that simple computer-based brain exercises can improve memory and attention in healthy adults.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage study with no direct health outcome—it measures changes in test scores, not real-world benefits. Results may not apply to everyone or lead to a treatment.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 1,600 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Apr 2025
- Expected to finish
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Jul 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 85 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Self-reported normal or corrected-to-normal vision * No known neurological impairments * Age within inclusion range (18-30 Years for Younger Adults and 60-85 Years for Older Adults) Exclusion Criteria * Physical handicap (motor or perceptual) that would impede training procedures * Concurrent enrollment in other cognitive training studies * Not being proficient enough in English that would prevent following and understanding all instructions and completing all testing sessions (typically, participants would need to have learned English before age 11; there might be some exceptions that will be decided on a case-by-case basis). * Unable to adhere to training schedule Additional exclusion criteria for older adults: \- Score \< 17 (out of 22) on the Telephone Montreal Cognitive Assessment (T-MoCA).
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As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
3 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Northeastern University
RECRUITINGBoston, Massachusetts, 02115, United States
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University of California, Riverside
RECRUITINGRiverside, California, 92521, United States
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University of Wisconsin - Madison
RECRUITINGMadison, Wisconsin, 53706, United States
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