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Updated: Mar 20, 2026
Assessment of Age-related Changes in Cognitive Functions Using EmoCogMeter, a Novel Tablet-computer Based Approach
Published on: February 14, 2014
Evidence for age-associated cognitive decline from Internet game scores
Jason Geyer1, Philip Insel2, Faraz Farzin3
1Department of Radiology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Introduction:
Lumosity's Memory Match (LMM) is an online game requiring visual working memory. Change in LMM scores may be associated with individual differences in age-related changes in working memory.
Methods:
Effects of age and time on LMM learning and forgetting rates were estimated using data from 1890 game sessions for users aged 40 to 79 years.
Results:
There were significant effects of age on baseline LMM scores (β = -.31, standard error or SE = .02, P < .0001) and lower learning rates (β = -.0066, SE = .0008, P < .0001). A sample size of 202 subjects/arm was estimated for a 1-year study for subjects in the lower quartile of game performance.
Discussion:
Online memory games have the potential to identify age-related decline in cognition and to identify subjects at risk for cognitive decline with smaller sample sizes and lower cost than traditional recruitment methods.
