Scientific Learning Corp. (NASDAQ: SCIL) and Posit Science Corp. today announced a co-marketing partnership under which Scientific Learning will provide brain fitness programs from Posit Science to K-12 educators, administrators and adult education programs nationwide.
The Posit Science Brain Fitness ProgramTM was developed and tested by a global team of more than 50 university-based brain scientists including Dr. Mike Merzenich, co-founder of both companies, and the Francis A. Sooy Professor at the Keck Center for Integrative Neurosciences at University of California San Francisco. The program enables people to think faster, focus better and remember more by improving brain processing speed and accuracy.
The research behind the Brain Fitness Program is the same science upon which Scientific Learning’s Fast ForWord® family of educational software products is based. Fast ForWord software provides struggling readers with computer-delivered interventions and intensive exercises that build the cognitive skills required to read and learn effectively. Posit Science likewise licenses Scientific Learning’s patents and technology for the Brain Fitness Program.
“K-12 educators are well aware of the positive results these neuroscience research based products bring to their students, thanks to the Fast ForWord software products,” said Robert Bowen, CEO of Scientific Learning Corp. “Now, through this partnership, educators can experience the power of brain fitness programs to improve their own brain processing efficiency.”
Research on the Posit Science program, like the Fast ForWord program, shows significant gains among aging learners. At the Gerontological Society of America’s annual conference last month, Dr. Elizabeth Zelinski of the University of Southern California presented initial findings from the IMPACT Study, the first large-scale randomized controlled trial of a non-invasive, computer-based cognitive intervention for aging adults that is available for widespread, individual use. The study shows that people who used the Posit Science program increased processing speed by 131 percent, improved an average of 10 years on standard cognitive assessments, and that 75 percent of people noted experiencing positive changes in their everyday lives.
“It’s not just students who can benefit from software designed to enhance cognition now,” said Posit Science CEO Jeff Zimman. “The IMPACT Study shows that Posit Science has cracked the code on how to improve cognition in a way that generalizes for adults.”
Indeed, there is a growing trend of school districts offering brain fitness programs as part of their adult education programs. In the past two months many schools have licensed the Posit Science Brain Fitness program for adult education classes. The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), which is the nation’s largest, was the first district to offer brain fitness.
“Students who sign up for the Posit Science program rarely miss a class and are impressed that they are able to track their progress,” said Arlene Torluemke, Coordinator of the Program for Older Adults at LAUSD. “They report big changes in their lives and better engagement with the world.”
About Scientific Learning Corporation
Scientific Learning creates educational software that accelerates learning by improving the processing efficiency of the brain. The patented Fast ForWord® family of products provides struggling readers with computer-delivered interventions and intensive exercises that build the cognitive skills required to read and learn effectively. Based on more than 30 years of neuroscience and cognitive research, the Fast ForWord products apply patented technology and validated neuroscience principles of brain plasticity to help children, adolescents, and adults improve processing efficiency and achieve enduring gains. The efficacy of the products and the science behind them has been established by more than 550 research studies and publications. For more information, visit www.scientificlearning.com and www.brainconnection.com, or call toll-free 888-452-7323.
About Posit Science Corporation
Posit Science Corporation develops science-based brain health programs. The company works with more than 50 brain scientists from leading universities around the world to create training programs that enhance cognitive performance. Its assessments and exercises are based on neuroplasticity — the brain’s ability to “rewire” through intensive, repetitive and progressively challenging activity. The company’s Brain Fitness Program is distributed without charge by Humana to its Medicare Advantage members, is licensed to more than 100 retirement communities nationwide, is sold online and by Authorized Providers. Posit Science has received several grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Posit Science was named “Best Small Company” by the American Society on Aging, was named “Best Fitness Initiative” by the Consumer Health World Conference and was selected as one of the “medical breakthroughs of the year” by CNBC