Day 3:
Day 4:
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Seems like things are going really well. Thanks for the update!
I am up to doing eight card sets in the Cambridge University Memory Training module now. There is definitely progress over the two weeks that I have been doing it. Iām having no problems with episodic recall - itās been a while since I have forgotten keys or appointments - and I am getting vastly improved visual dream recall as well. It has been interesting. I am noticing my instant recall is still weak, it often takes 2-3 tries to get a correct full circle of cards.
Anyway eight cards is the first unlocked set of extra rewards, with 30 normal rewards before it which you get one per day. So I think it is normally encountered between 20-30 days in, which means I am progressing quite rapidly. I intend to do at least the complete month of training, and may do a second month.
On the main Peak app I am progressing steadily, around the 50th percentile in most things except problem solving and memory, where I am around the 60th percentile. This i see more as a long term thing, although I notice action speed is a limiting factor in score in many games and that really doesnāt interest me. Hammering the buttons to get the high score is so old school.
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This sounds really good. Have you tried Sarcosine too? Iām very interested to see some real and precise tests of memory (that this game seems to provide) for people who are on sarcosine.
Congrats you are doing good and working hard. It will end up paying dividends!
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Iām now in the 50th or 60th percentile for memory on lumosity. I am improving.
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The thing is, can you hold on to improvements made? My feeling is that if they are temporary and my scores drop after a while, then itās not worthwhile. But from what Iāve seen so far of peopleās long term records, most of the improvements are lasting.
Iāve started a discussion with Peak about the number of games they have which involve a race-against-the-clock component. I feel those stress reflexes, reaction speed, nerves, and performance under pressure more than true memory or focus or mental agility.
But great stuff astefano, good to see you improving, you obviously have a good brain!
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I take sarcosine and did the poll. I noticed improvement.
Thats great. What Iām specifically interested in is if people see a difference in how they perform using these memory games - when they are using Sarcosine and when they are not.
Can you please do a test where for three days you do the memory games with sarcosine, and three days without - and let us know the results?
It may not work because even when youāre practicing without sarcosine youāre still perhaps getting better - but maybe notā¦
Day 7. Itās all about practicing and focusing. I think I can eventually hit 90% if I try hard. I donāt think this relates to iq and memory. Personally, my memory feels like ā ā ā ā still. I think I have poor recall, poor verbal, and possibly poor long term. The test is biased towards visual people. I would fail if it tested auditory intelligence. It also doesnāt test complex problems as I used to be able to solve complex problems. Now I struggle to do math and problem. My iq fell like 10-20 points compared to before schizophrenia onset.
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I do feel sharper and more focused though.
Any difference in scores - with or without Sarcosine?
I decided to not stop sarcosine. Sorry. 
OK - I totally understand.
Perhaps someone else reading this can use the software for a while before trying sarcosine (reporting their pre-sarcosine scores) and then start Sarcosine and do the software program again.
I would say that is very true based on the little Iāve tried them . They would certainly underestimate the cognitive abilities of those who are not good in race against the clock situations. That would appear to be a fairly major flaw of such brain training games.
Have you guys tried the brain training app called Elevate. I just downloaded it. It seems really cool.
I think youāre right astefano, the brain training doesnāt accurately reflect IQ. My IQ prior to first episode was somewhere over 145, and Iāve headed some large software projects doing lead engineering and architecture. Iām probably not as sharp or as stress resistant as back then, but theoretically I should still score in the top 10% of the population.
But those faculties are a lot closer to real world situations, which stress complex problem solving, people skills, communication, reliability and so on. That doesnāt mean brain training is not useful, Iāve read among other things that people notice big improvements in their defensive driving skills. Gaming skills in general benefit too.
Itās just that there are not that many real world situations which draw heavily on the skills that are trained in the race-against-the-clock games. Which is a shame, although I will continue doing them because I do feel sharper and better.
Might give elevate a try after I get tired of peak.
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I downloaded the app and have been playing it forr a week now, but I doubt whether this can be used as a reliable tool to test cognitive performance. The thing is it is built in such a way as to only allow you to earn more points as you progress. That means you will initially always score low, regardless of how smart you are. Only after having unlocked the āgraduateā, āexpertā and āmasterā levels will you be able to earn the points that get you into the high percentile. This may reflect actual progress. But it may also give a false impression of progress since you are simply not able to end up in these high percentiles after just starting the game. Because of that, your initial score is never an accurate reflection of your capacities. Maybe this effect will diminish after a month or so. I think some cross-testing with sarcosine as @SzAdmin suggests will only be of some worth once the scores have stabilized for some time. Then add sarcosine and see how it goes. In the early stages, I donāt think this can be of more worth than any other game on your phone, whether it is associated with cognitive training or not.
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