Pearson's CogMed is the most scientifically validated working memory training program available — backed by 120+ peer-reviewed studies and proven effective for ADHD, executive dysfunction, severe mental illness, and substance abuse recovery.
200K+
Users Worldwide
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Unlike general "brain training" apps, CogMed is a
clinician-supervised intervention with a structured protocol validated through decades of peer-reviewed research. Its effects are measured using the same objective neuropsychological tests used to diagnose conditions like ADHD.
CogMed Program OverviewCognitive deficits in working memory and executive function cut across diagnostic categories. CogMed has been studied across the following populations in peer-reviewed clinical research.
The most extensively studied population. CogMed reliably improves working memory, reduces inattention in daily life, and enhances executive control — in both children and adults.
"Meta-analysis showed a significant training effect on inattention in daily life (SMD = -0.47) across children and adults, with and without ADHD."
Cognitive impairment is a core feature of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and related psychotic disorders. Computerized cognitive remediation — including working memory training — produces small-to-moderate improvements in cognition and functional outcomes.
"CogMed WM training showed significant improvements in WM and Trails Making Test performance in pediatric bipolar disorder and ADHD patients."
Drug and alcohol dependence are characterized by deficits in working memory and impulse control. Working memory training improves self-regulation, reduces craving, and supports treatment engagement — especially in alcohol use disorder and opioid maintenance patients.
"WM training may improve control of impulsivity and self-regulation in people with methamphetamine use disorder."
Depression and anxiety disorders are associated with specific executive function deficits — particularly working memory, inhibitory control, and rumination. Working memory training reduces intrusive thoughts and improves emotional regulation in both adolescents and adults.
"WM training reduced intrusive thoughts and improved executive function control in individuals with depression and anxiety."
Children and adolescents with ASD frequently experience working memory and attention deficits. CogMed has demonstrated improvements in comorbid ADHD symptoms and cognitive functioning in this population.
"CWMT demonstrated meaningful improvements in comorbid ADHD symptoms in children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder."
Working memory deficits are a hallmark of traumatic brain injury and stroke recovery. CogMed has been used clinically to help patients regain functional cognitive independence, including activities of daily living.
"After Cogmed, a TBI patient regained enough mental clarity to resume normal daily activities, including writing checks and driving."
CogMed is not a wellness app — it is a rigorously studied clinical intervention. Below is a curated selection of key peer-reviewed findings.
Spencer-Smith & Klingberg — PLOS ONE
Meta-analysis of 13 studies found a significant training effect on inattention in daily life (SMD = -0.47, p < .00001). Benefits observed in children and adults, with and without ADHD.
Khemiri, Brynte, Klingberg et al. — Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research
50-patient RCT demonstrated improvements in WM capacity and executive functioning following 5-week CogMed-based training in outpatient addiction clinic patients with AUD.
Dymond, Gillespie, Bartlett et al. — Journal of Clinical Medicine
Systematic review confirming cognitive training — including WM-focused approaches — produces significant benefits across neuropsychiatric conditions including schizophrenia, mood disorders, and SUD.
Bomyea & Amir — Cognitive Therapy & Research
Study found working memory training reduced intrusive thoughts and improved executive function control in individuals with symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Parker et al. — Medical Science Monitor
Children and adolescents with ASD showed meaningful improvements in comorbid ADHD symptoms and cognitive functioning following working memory training.
Passarotti et al. — Frontiers in Psychology
CogMed WM training showed significant improvements in working memory and Trail Making Test performance in pediatric patients with bipolar disorder and ADHD.
CogMed's full body of research spans 120+ independent peer-reviewed publications over more than 20 years of clinical study.
As a certified CogMed provider, we integrate the program within a comprehensive psychological care framework — not as a standalone tool.
We begin with a comprehensive assessment to identify the nature and severity of your working memory and executive function deficits, establish diagnostic clarity, and determine whether CogMed is the right fit for your clinical picture.
Your CogMed program is tailored to your specific diagnosis, baseline performance, and functional goals. The software adapts difficulty in real time based on your performance — ensuring you are always working at the optimal cognitive challenge level.
Complete 25 sessions of 30–45 minutes each from home or our office. Weekly coaching calls with your clinician review your progress data, address motivational challenges, and reinforce real-world skill generalization.
Post-training neuropsychological re-testing measures your cognitive gains using the same validated scales used at baseline — providing objective, clinician-verified evidence of your progress.
CogMed gains are integrated into your broader treatment plan — whether that includes psychotherapy, medication management, academic support, or substance abuse recovery services. Follow-up sessions help sustain long-term gains.
"I started feeling the benefits pretty quickly — nearly immediate. I was staying engaged and focused longer in class, my memory was getting sharper, and that kind of brain fog that comes with a concussion was clearing up."
— Callie H., CogMed User
"In our practice, we saw student after student go through the Cogmed program and find that they could now better manage their lives."
— Arthur Lavin, MD, FAAP, CogMed Coach
"Coming across this program was really a blessing, because it's hard to find something that's as scientifically based as Cogmed is."
— Jacopo Lorenzetti, Clinical Psychologist
"A stroke patient who struggled with reading retention said after five weeks of Cogmed: 'I am now reading a book, and I can remember the story.'"
— Joanne Thornton, CogMed Coach
Cogmed may help improve working-memory skills, but current peer-reviewed evidence does not support it as a replacement for ADHD medication. It may be considered as an adjunctive option, depending on the individual’s goals and treatment plan.
A randomized study in youth with ADHD included a 4-month follow-up and reported that improvements were still present on some measures at that point.
Effectiveness of Cognitive Training for Improving Working Memory in Children with ADHD
Yes, potentially as an adjunct, but not as a standalone treatment and not as something I’d place at the center of care during active substance use treatment. The peer-reviewed literature suggests working-memory training may help some cognitive domains in substance use disorders, and some trials in opioid and stimulant populations found signals for improved cognitive performance and, in a few cases, substance-use outcomes.
What the evidence supports: A 2014 review described computerized working-memory training as a candidate adjunctive intervention for drug dependence, while emphasizing that the field was still early and key questions remained unanswered. In a randomized controlled trial in methadone-maintained patients, working-memory training improved some memory measures and was associated with less frequent drug use than control training, but the authors did not frame it as a replacement for standard addiction treatment.
Cogmed is marketed for a broad age range, generally from about age 4 and up, with separate protocols for preschoolers, school-age children, adolescents, and adults. Some clinical sources simplify that to ages 7 through adult in practice, depending on the version being used
Schedule a free 20-minute consultation to discuss whether CogMed is the right fit for you or your client. We serve individuals, families, and mental health clinicians seeking to integrate CogMed into their practice.