Today marks the start of Brain Awareness Week — an annual campaign to increase public awareness about the benefits of cognitive research. To commemorate, we connected with our local LearningRx center to highlight a client whose life has been improved through brain training.

Berenice R. is a student at Chattanooga State. As she began to pursue her dream of applying to the nursing program, she knew her grades wouldn’t cut it.

“Berenice is an adult student that has always struggled,” says LearningRx director Michelle Hecker-Davis. “She traditionally has worked very hard to barely pull off a C in her classes.”

Berenice says that despite studying hard, she would still make Cs — sometimes lower.

She said she reached out to LearningRx after learning about their methods from a friend whose son had success there.

“I knew I had problems and wanted to do something to make them better,” she said. “So when I met with Michelle and she told me about this program, I wanted to do it.”

Berenice started brain training after an initial assessment of her key cognitive skills at the LearningRx center. This is where Berenice discovered her strengths and weaknesses when it comes to the learning process. (Learn more about brain training here.)

“I knew I took forever to do my homework, but I didn’t know it had to do with processing speed,” she said. “[The assessment] was a motivator because I had problems that I wanted to fix, so I knew I better do something now.”

After brain training for just 5 months, Berenice says she’s noticed a lot of changes. Her attention, memory, and confidence have all improved. More important, she said her grades have consistently progressed and she’s now making As and Bs.

“It was definitely a life-changing experience because ... I kept doing it and getting better,” she said. “I knew I was going to eventually make it to my goal of getting into nursing school. Before, I didn’t think I would make it.”

Why does brain training work?

LearningRx’s methods that have been used in clinical settings for over 35 years. (That’s a long time.) The company says it’s helped 100,000+ people sharpen their cognitive power and live better lives.

LearningRx also partners with the Gibson Institute of Cognitive Research to deliver research-driven brain training to their clients. Here are some highlights from their latest findings:

• Personal brain training from LearningRx reduced academic difficulties in school-age children with learning struggles.
• Brain training created significant differences in working memory, long-term memory, logic & reasoning, auditory processing, + IQ scores for ADHD students age 8-14.
• Brain training changed brain connectivity in people with traumatic brain injuries.
• LearningRx training created significant gains for adults over 50 in long-term memory, fluid reasoning, processing speed, + many other cognitive skills.

How to get an assessment

In recognition of Brain Awareness Week, LearningRx Chattanooga will take $100 off the cost of a comprehensive assessment now through Mar. 31, 2019. Email chattanoogaeast.tn@learningrx.net or call 423-305-1599 to inquire about scheduling an assessment.

Pro-tip: Consider taking this 3-minute online quiz to see if weak cognitive skills could be making life harder than it needs to be for you, your child or someone you know.

This content was created in partnership with LearningRx.