Brain Workshop - a Dual N-Back game

Introduction - Download - Tutorial - Details & Options - Donate

Brain Workshop is a free open-source version of the dual n-back brain training exercise.

What if a simple mental exercise could improve your memory and intelligence?

A 2008 study published in the PNAS scientific journal shows that a memory task called dual n-back may improve working memory (short term memory) and fluid intelligence. These findings are important because fluid intelligence was previously thought to be unchangeable.

Those findings have since been replicated twice with strongly positive results, and two more times in smaller studies with weaker, but still positive, results.

Brain Workshop implements this dual n-back task, and allows you to attempt to improve your own working memory and fluid intelligence. The dual n-back task involves remembering a sequence of spoken letters and a sequence of positions of a square at the same time, and identifying when a letter or position matches the one that appeared earlier. Brain Workshop can closely replicate the conditions of the original study. In addition, it also includes optional extended game modes such as Triple N-Back and Arithmetic N-Back for extra challenge. It also includes features such as statistics tracking, graphs and configurability.

Anecdotal evidence from users suggests that the dual n-back task can also enhance focus and attention and may help improve the symptoms of ADHD/ADD.

Brain Workshop works on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.

Since its initial release in August 2008, Brain Workshop has been downloaded over 775,000 times!

New to Dual N-Back?



See this Wired article for an introduction to the Dual N-Back exercise and its benefits.

Read the original research paper by Jaeggi, et al. (2008).

Learn how to play by reading this quick tutorial .

. Download the software.

We welcome the use of Brain Workshop for experimental research. The program can be configured for a wide variety of scenarios.

Dual N-Back Community

Join the Dual N-Back, Brain Training & Intelligence forum & mailing list at Google Groups for some interesting discussions on dual n-back, memory, intelligence and the brain.

Gwern's Dual N-Back FAQ

Gwern Branwen maintains an extensive (unofficial) Dual N-Back FAQ. Note the table of contents on the right side of the page.

Brain Workshop was created by Paul Hoskinson, and is maintained by Paul Hoskinson and Jonathan Toomim.

Please send us your comments or questions.