It is proved that the ability improvement by brain training was created by "placebo effect"

ByNeil Conway

The training program of the "brain training" system is attracting attention as having the effect of enhancing the function of the brain, but many of the grounds for sounding the effectPlacebo effectResearch results clarifying that it was biased by the author was announced.

Billion-dollar brain training industry a sham-nothing but placebo, study suggests | Ars Technica
http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/06/billion-dollar-brain-training-industry-a-sham-nothing-but-placebo-study-suggests/

The so-called "brain training" system content, which tries to train the brain and enhance cognitive ability with the aim of supplementing the improvement of academic ability and work ability, and furthermore the deterioration of brain function due to aging, is popular mainly among adults In the United States, major brain training programs such as "Lumosity", "Cogmed", "NeuroNation" etc. have provided services. However, there is always a skeptical view about the effect, in fact the function of the brain has not improved, a mere placebo effect, that isA matter of mindIt was pointed out that it was a succession.

In January 2016, "Although suggesting that consumers' fear of declining cognitive abilities with aging is swamped, playing games could halt memory loss, dementia, and Alzheimer's disease "The US Federal Trade Commission has punished Lumosity for $ 2 million (approximately a penalty of 240 million yen is imposed on it) as the scientific grounds to support the effect."

The effect of "brain power training" is not recognized and the service provider is given a fine of about 200 million yen - GIGAZINE


Many of these services were based on the result that the actual user's IQ improved after the training, but the result was the so-called "served" result that was actually influenced by the placebo effect What has been revealed in the research results published in the science journal site "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences".

Placebo effects in cognitive training
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2016/06/16/1601243113.abstract

Among them, the research team points out that there was a problem with how to collect the subjects in the verification experiments that had been carried out in the past and had positive results. In many cases, when collecting the subjects, it means that we were collecting subjects in a singing phrase such as "training the brain and enhancing the function of the brain", but actually, at this stage it is already necessary to create the ground for the placebo effect It is said that it was done. Subjects gathered in the catch phrase "Let's raise the function of the brain" participate in the verification while expecting good results, as a matter of course. Then, regardless of whether they are conscious or not, it is a problem pointed out by the research team that good results will be obtained after training.

To eliminate this problem, the research team created the following two posters to collect nonbiased subjects. On the left poster "From brain training & cognitive enhancement studies,Liquidity intelligenceIt has been proven that it can be improved. Let's participate in the experiment by all means! "The catch phrase written is written, and it tells contents that expect the effect of training. On the right poster on the other hand, please leave the same layout as "send e-mail and join the experimentSONADo not you want credit (points)? Let's get a maximum of 5 credits by signing up for an experiment Let 's join the experiment! In this way, we are collecting subjects who are not interested in the content of the experiment and are aimed at points.


In this way, the research team consists of 25 groups each consisting of "group expecting experiment" (placebo group) and "group participating only for getting credits" (target group) We conducted experiments and compared the results.

For both groups, first perform a standardized IQ test before training and record the values ​​of the original state. Next, training training to train the brain will be carried out by both groups here as well. Finally, we conducted IQ tests after training on both groups and compare the first and last numbers. In other words, we verified the presence or absence of placebo by verifying the difference between IQ of two groups with different mental states when participating in the experiment.

As a result, it was found that in the placebo glue, IQ after training increased by 5 to 10 points, whereas in the other target group there was no noticeable difference in figures. In other words, from here, it is exactly what caused IQ's improvement by brain training to be caused by training while expecting "the brain's function will improve"Placebo effectIt was proved that it was nothing but anything.

Although the experiment led to the conclusion that the content itself used in brain training was ineffective, there is still a remarkable result in the result that the value of the placebo group improved. In fact it is the effect of brain training proved to be a placebo effect, but it seems to be said that how to think about the actual effect obtained by that will require another judgment .