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 A recent study led by UCL researchers suggests that brain training exercises, aimed at enhancing cognitive control in children, may not yield significant improvements in delaying gratification or academic achievement, nor do they induce any notable changes in brain structure or function.

According to lead author Professor Nikolaus Steinbeis from UCL's Department of Psychology & Language Sciences, cognitive control plays a crucial role in decision-making, academic success, social skills, and mental well-being. However, despite the burgeoning industry promoting brain training programs for children, the efficacy of these interventions remains uncertain.

"There is an enormous and growing industry developing brain training programmes purporting to improve children's cognitive control and as a result other areas of functioning, and yet the evidence for their efficacy has been patchy," Steinbeis noted, Neuroscience News reported.

The study, published in Nature Neuroscience, involving 235 children aged six to 13, underwent an eight-week training program targeting either cognitive control or response speed. Tasks focused on response inhibition, informed by neuroscientific research, were employed. While participants demonstrated improved performance on specific trained tasks immediately after and one year post-training, these enhancements failed to translate into broader cognitive or behavioral improvements.

 "Our findings suggest that even though cognitive control is clearly very important for other real-life outcomes, we simply do not see that training can yield such broader benefits even when trained over an extensive period of time," Steinbeis explained. "We should stop seeing cognitive control as a skill that can be readily boosted by training exercises, as that is likely a waste of time and resources."

Brain scans using MRI revealed no discernible changes in brain structure or function, consistent with the absence of training effects. Professor Steinbeis emphasized that focusing on motivational factors might be more effective in utilizing cognitive control to guide behavior effectively.

"Instead, it may be better to focus on how we use our cognitive control in practice. We are more able to concentrate and learn effectively when we are motivated, so focusing on motivational factors may be a better way to impact how we use cognitive control to guide our behaviours," he said.

Although conducted solely in children, the researchers suggest that their findings likely extend to adults, with the malleability of children's brains making it even more challenging to enhance such abilities in adults. However, the study's limitations include its exclusion of clinical populations and children with learning disabilities, preventing generalization beyond typically developing children.

Collaborating institutions included McGill University, Washington University in St. Louis, and Radboud University Medical Center.