Top 5 Mental Health Apps To Get You Through The Holiday Season
CogMed is a web-based cognitive training suite available through affiliated schools or clinics. With help from a CogMed Coach, users are tasked to complete five to ten weeks of visuospatial and verbal tasks designed to improve working memory in users struggling with cognitive difficulties. This includes assessments prior to and after completion, which lets users track their progress and consolidate their gains. Training sessions last 25-50 minutes each and adapt to the user’s capability as they progress through the program.
Available for: Web
Developer: Pearson Education, Inc.
Type of Treatment: Cognitive Training
Targeted Conditions: Schizophrenia, Mood Disorders, Stress & Anxiety
Target Audience: Adults (child versions are available)
Designed to be used in conjunction with a healthcare professional: Yes
Languages Available: English and more
Get it on: Web
A pilot study published in 2017 wanted to examine the training effects of a computerized working memory program on resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) measures in children with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). 16 children (ages 8-15) who were diagnosed with NF1 and working memory issues were enrolled in the study with their parents’ consent. fMRIs were taken from the participants and baseline cognitive testing was done. After 25 sessions, each lasting 30-45 minutes, over 6-10 weeks the children were assessed again with the fMRI and cognitive test. Imaging showed positive differences in regionally specific areas as well as improvements in cognitive tasks. (Yoncheva, Y. N., Hardy, K. K., Lurie, D. J., Somandepalli, K., Yang, L., Vezina, G., … & Acosta, M. T. 2017. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5582983/)
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