Lumos Labs, the company behind the popular Lumosity "Brain Training" program, is agreeing to pay $2 million to settle deceptive advertising claims brought by the Federal Trade Commission.

“Lumosity preyed on consumers’ fears about age-related cognitive decline, suggesting their games could stave off memory loss, dementia, and even Alzheimer’s disease," Jessica Rich, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a statement. “But Lumosity simply did not have the science to back up its ads.”

The FTC charged in its complaint (PDF) that Lumosity offered dozens of online or mobile games designed to train specific areas of the brain. The company claimed in its massive advertising campaign that the training would help customers reach their "full potential in every aspect of life," such as in school, at work, and in sports, and that it would protect against dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Among other things, the company also claimed that the training could help customers reduce the side effects of chemotherapy. Subscription prices ranged from $14.95 a month to $299.95 for a lifetime membership, the FTC said.

Lumosity was popularized by its own marketing efforts, the FTC said:

Lumosity has been widely promoted though TV and radio advertisements on networks including CNN, Fox News, the History Channel, National Public Radio, Pandora, Sirius XM, and Spotify. The defendants also marketed through emails, blog posts, social media, and on their website, Lumosity.com, and used Google AdWords to drive traffic to their website, purchasing hundreds of keywords related to memory, cognition, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease, according to the complaint.

The settlement (PDF) forbids the company from "making any representation, expressly or by implication" that the product "improves performance in school, at work, or in athletics" or "delays or protects against age-related decline in memory or other cognitive function, including mild cognitive impairment, dementia, or Alzheimer's disease." The settlement also says the company cannot claim that the product "reduces cognitive impairment caused by health conditions, including Turner syndrome, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), stroke, or side effects of chemotherapy."

The company may make those claims under the agreement if "defendants possess and rely upon competent and reliable scientific evidence to substantiate that the representation is true."

"Competent and reliable scientific evidence," according to the agreement, "shall consist of human clinical testing of such product that is sufficient in quality and quantity, based on standards generally accepted by experts in the relevant field, when considered in light of the entire body of relevant and reliable scientific evidence, to substantiate that the representation is true. Such testing shall be (1) randomized, adequately controlled, and blinded to the maximum extent practicable; and (2) be conducted by researchers qualified by training and experience to conduct such testing."