Editorial policy

1. Sources

• We cite published research that can be checked through a DOI, PubMed or another reliable academic record. We never cite a source we could not verify exists.
• Systematic reviews and meta-analyses come first; a single study is described as a single study.
• A source must be about the claim it supports. Research on how a mental process works — for example, how visual search works — is labelled as background and is never used as evidence that practising an exercise helps.
• We check what each study measured, in whom and for how long, and we report important limitations and conflicting results.
• Sources that have been corrected or retracted are flagged next to the reference.

2. Evidence grades

Each method has an evidence grade for a specific outcome, and popular claims that research does not support are marked as such. The grades are explained in how we review evidence.

We keep three questions apart: does practice improve the trained task, similar tasks, or other abilities and daily life? For most brain training, the evidence supports only the first two.

3. Claims we do not make

• That an exercise can make you more intelligent or change your IQ score.
• That a score shows your “brain age” or how you compare with the population.
• That an exercise can prevent or treat a medical condition such as dementia or ADHD.
• That a benefit is proven when the research is still uncertain.

4. Health-related topics

We write about sleep, physical exercise, stress and similar topics as science education: what research has found about their links with attention, memory and learning.

We do not give diagnoses, treatment advice or dosing, and we do not tell readers to start, stop or replace any treatment. Where a symptom could have a medical cause, we say so and suggest seeing a qualified professional.

5. Use of AI

AI tools may help us find and summarise papers, draft text and translate. They do not decide what we publish.

Before publication, every reference is checked against its original record and every summary against the paper. The LaserMind Team is responsible for all published content.

We do not mass-produce pages. A page is published only when it adds something useful — a working exercise, an explanation of how our scoring works, or a careful reading of the evidence.

6. Updates and corrections

Pages show when their evidence was last checked; articles also show when they were published and last updated.

Report errors to [email protected]. Confirmed errors are corrected and the date is updated; significant corrections are noted on the page.

7. Languages

English is the source language, and selected pages are also available in Japanese. Translations may be AI-assisted; we check scientific terms and wording, and native-speaker review is ongoing. A page is offered in Japanese only when that version exists.

8. Advertising and independence

LaserMind may show clearly labelled ads to keep the site free. Advertisers do not influence what we write or how we grade evidence, and we do not publish sponsored content. Ads are never placed inside an exercise or shown in Kids mode.