The Brain's Full Potential is Being Unlocked by Businesses Everywhere

To investigate if perceptual-cognitive training can provide a proactive intervention to enhance cognition in older adults with memory problems.

47 healthy participants aged 60-90 with subjective memory problems were divided into active and control groups. All participants completed three robust neuropsychological assessments over a three- month period. Active participants completed these before, after and following a 7 week NeuroTracker training intervention.

The NeuroTracker trained group improved significantly on the task, with significant or major transfer to scores in memory tasks (e.g., CVLT-II: Immediate Free Recall; Short-Term Memory Recall, and Long- Term Memory Recall), working memory tasks (e.g., Digit Span Backward) and cognitive flexibility tasks (e.g., D-KEFS Verbal Fluency Category Switching and D-KEFS Verbal Fluency Letter Fluency). NeuroTracker scores also correlated to the scale of these improvements for processing speed, memory performance, and cognitive flexibility. Furthermore, some increased transfer benefits were found one month after the training intervention, potentially indicating heightened neurogenesis and promise for neuroplastic cognitive rehabilitation. The overall results suggest that this form of perceptual-cognitive training can significantly enhance cognition in a sustained way, with a relatively short training intervention.

To investigate if comprehensive physical and cognitiveassessments can help improve the competitive performance of elite mountainsrunners.

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7 male international-standard mountain runners undertook a battery of physiological and biological tests (blood and urine biochemistry, VO2Max, EKG), along with a NeuroTracker baseline assessment, both at the beginning and end of a competitive season. Systematized medical analyses of the initial data was used to tailor each athlete's ongoing performance programs. In addition, the athletes undertook a NeuroTracker training intervention of 42 sessions across the competitive season. The same post-season battery of assessments along with competition results were analyzed to the determine effects of the adapted training programs.

All athletes' race results improved over previous years' performances. Moderate post-season improvements were seen across the physiological and biological tests from the adapted performance programs. NeuroTracker post-season baselines also improved dramatically, with scores increasing by +75% over pre-season baselines. The researchers concluded the NeuroTracker intervention demonstrated that perceptual–cognitive skills were perfectly trainable and could improve sports performance.

This exploratory study sought to evaluate the relationship between spatial awareness, agility, and distance covered as measured by GPS.

12 American collegiate athletes were assessed on spatial awareness (NeuroTracker: 1 Core session),agility (Pro-agility and T Drill), and then measured for running distance in a competitive Rubgy match at low, moderate and high intensity running speeds.

Agility measures did not correlate with any of the running speeds, and the spatial awareness measure did not correlate with low or high intensity running. However spatial awareness did correlate significantly with moderate intensity running (cruising/striding). Spatial awareness, as measured by NeuroTracker, appears to be related to the moderate intensity movement patterns of rugby union athletes. The researchers hypothesize that the ability to track teammates and opponents while at striding speed may be result of the processing of external and internal stimuli, while generally attempting to navigate open space on the pitch.

To examine the effects of a high intensity intermittent exercise (HIIE) protocol on performance with a perceptual-cognitive task (NeuroTracker), and whether effects differ between children, young adults, and older adults.

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12 children, 12 young adults and 12 older adults completed a HIIE program consisting of eleven 30-second intervals at 90% VO2 max, interspersed with 2-minute active recovery periods at 50% VO2max. Before and during this exercise protocol, three sessions of NeuroTracker task were performed at 5, 15, and 25 minute intervals.

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Young adults had significantly higher absolute NeuroTracker scores than children and older adults. Apart children, NeuroTracker scores improved each session, despite the exercise demands (greatest for young adults). The findings suggest that intensive exercise protocols are suitable to be combined with NeuroTracker cognitive training with younger and older adults, but not with children.

To investigate if NeuroTracker baselines can be used to differentiate athletic experience and class of sport.

101 female (36) and male (67) athletes at Universidad Playa Ancha (Spain) in soccer, basketball, volleyball, rugby, handball, swimming, athletics, table tennis and rowing, completed NeuroTracker baselines. These were all completed at noon, following intense workouts the day before. The sports were classified into open structure (e.g. soccer) and closed structure (e.g. swimming) groups, due to expected differences their cognitive demands.

Overall, statistical analysis showed that NeuroTracker baselines correlated significantly with sex, amount of athletic training, and class of sport. The researchers conclude that these results show that NeuroTracker provides an accessible measure of perceptual-cognitive function that relates significantly to athletic performance variables in university athletes.

To enhance the visual perception ability of motorcycle taxi riders by using a NeuroTracker training intervention.

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60 motorcycle taxi riders were volunteers and recruited from Chonburi, Thailand, and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group completed 30-minutes of NeuroTracker training sessions for twice a week over five weeks in total. Pre-post assessments of the Development Test of Visual Perception – Adolescent and Adult (DTVP-A) were completed by both groups.

Results revealed that the experimental group had a significantly higher visual perception ability score after training. In addition, the average DTVP-A score in the experimental group increased to significantly higher than that of the control group. The study findings suggest NeuroTracker training can improve the visual perception ability of motorcycle taxi riders.

3D vision (binocular stereo) develops during childhood and tends to reduce after 65 years of age. This study aimed to investigate whether these effects are significant when processing complex and dynamic motion.

Three groups of 20 subjects were recruited: children (7–12 years old), adults (18–40 years old) and older adults (≥65 years old). Each person completed 4 NeuroTracker sessions, 2 in 2D (no binocular stereo) and 2 in 3D (with binocular stereo).

As typical, adults achieved significantly higher NeuroTracker scores than children or elderly. They also gained a significantly larger advantage when performing NeuroTracker in 3D. In turn, children showed more advantage with 3D than elderly. This suggests that older populations have reduced ability to process complex and dynamic motion using stereoscopic processing. This study reveals that comparison between scores with and without stereoscopic effect, allows direct evaluation of the stereopsis advantage when performing NeuroTracker.

To assess the extent to which action video game players perform better than non-gamers on cognitive functions measured by NeuroTracker and neuropsychological assessments.

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14 professional and 16 amateur action video game players completed a battery of 7 standardized neuropsychological assessments, a manual dexterity test, and 14 NeuroTracker sessions. Statistical analysis techniques were used to compare cognitive differences.

Analysis revealed that high performance in professional action video games players is associated with enhanced abilities in visual spatial attention, visual and auditory short-term memory, and selective and sustained attention. No significant differences between professionals and amateurs were evident on tasks evaluating executive functions, perceptual manipulation, or manual dexterity. Although both groups displayed a similar learning capacity to improve at NeuroTracker over 90-mins of training, professionals exhibited a distinct performance advantage throughout the intervention. The results overall suggest that elite action video gamers have superior attentional control.

To investigate the relationship with NeuroTracker baselines and soccer player performance metrics across two professional seasons.

11 professional Greek soccer players from two major Super League football clubs completed a 6-min single NeuroTracker session baseline. Soccer-specific competition performance metrics were collected using the Wyscout analytics platform, including: team is winning/losing, actions with/without a yellow card, dribbles, through passes, forward passes, and assists.

Statistical analysis revealed NeuroTracker baseline score significantly correlated to actions when team is winning/losing, total actions without a yellow card, through passes, forward passes, and assists. The researchers suggest that such baselines could play a crucial and practical role in evaluating soccer players’ performance when under the demands of professional competition.