LEARNING CENTER
Neurofeedback for Cognitive Aging
Can brain training help memory and focus as we age? Here is a clear, honest look at the research on neurofeedback for healthy older adults and mild cognitive impairment, with links to every study.
How Neurofeedback Supports the Aging Brain
Exercising the Rhythms Behind Memory and Focus
As we age, brain rhythms tend to slow. Peak alpha frequency drifts lower, and in mild cognitive impairment the balance shifts toward slower waves. Neurofeedback reads these rhythms in real time and rewards the brain, through a game, video or sound, whenever it produces faster, more organized activity. Over many sessions the brain learns to produce that pattern more easily.
The most-researched approaches are:
- Upper-alpha training: strengthens the rhythm linked to memory and mental readiness.
- Peak alpha frequency training: nudges the brain's natural tempo back up.
- Beta training: builds the faster activity tied to attention and working memory.
- SMR and theta training: used in several memory and attention studies.
Results look most promising for memory when training time is long enough, but most studies are still small. We share both the encouraging and the cautious findings below.
Repeat brain maps let you and our team see how your brain responds over time.