Cognition And Memory Tests

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A competitor of Cognitive Drug Research, Cogstate of Australia, offers a product called Cogstate Sport that monitor an athlete’s recovery from concussions. Customers include the Rugby Football League in Britain and the Australian Football League.

Somewhat ominously, Cogstate also offers a test that allows employers to check out their workers. According to the company's website:

CogState WorkPlace allows employers to comprehensively measure if their employees are fit for duty when it comes to their ability to think and act. Taking only around 8 minutes to complete, it has been proven to be sensitive to the effects of alcohol, fatigue and certain types of drugs. This method of testing is significantly less invasive than existing methods of drug and alcohol testing and therefore can be used as a less invasive step within an OH&S [Occupational Health and Safety] system.

Experimenters also have tested methods for enhancing cognition. For instance, placing subjects into a room high in oxygen apparently makes the brain very happy given the improved scores on cognition and memory. Drugs on the market and being tested also improve scores for healthy people, in some cases by as much as 20 percent.

Issues of enhancement and testing workers raise a host of ethical issues, including the possibility that these tests will be abused by individuals wanting to boost their own intelligence with drugs, or by employers discriminating against people who don’t score high on the tests.

And what should be done about the prospect of delivering bad news to people with mental disorders, who might get more depressed, or worse?

Wesnes says that his privately held company has tested about 30,000 people, and earns about $7 million to $8 million a year. But adds that he believes the cognitive-testing market is on the verge of expanding into an online business that would offer tests directly to consumers, businesses, or anyone else.

Consumers would need to be protected from anyone abusing these sites and the information generated; and accommodations would need to be made to protect or educate patients who might be upset by the results.

For healthy people, the sites could be used to run self-experiments, such as comparing one’s cognitive abilities while listening to, say, Carlos Santana versus listening to a Bach concerto; or before and after a bike ride.

The price won’t be outrageous—perhaps $40 or $50, says Wesnes, though he has not yet done an analysis to set prices.

Last weekend, I got my results from my own battery of test, and was surprised to hear that despite being 50 years old, my “brain age” is in my 20s. I was quick in responses and usually pretty accurate, said Wesnes.

“But that doesn’t mean that you weren’t sharper in your 20s,” he said. “We are all on our own scale, and we all decline with age.”

So I think that’s good news—for now. We’ll see how I do on the next test I’m planning with Wesnes, Turk, and Cognitive Drug Research—to determine how my brain does after drinking a glass or two of a modestly-priced Bordeaux.

Will I do worse ... or better?

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