System and method for improving memory capacity of a user

1. A computer training system for improving the working memory capacity of a user who is using a computer within said system, the system comprising:

a computer having means for presenting to said user via a presentation means a first task of a first difficulty level to a user;

means for providing a delay of a predetermined period of time, and during said delay time said computer ignoring user answers and removing at least one of visual and audible stimuli associated with the presented task;

means for receiving, via an input means, a user answer to a presented task;

means for evaluating whether the answer is correct or incorrect;

means for adapting the difficulty level a subsequent task to be presented, in accordance with predetermined adaptation rules and said evaluation; and

means for presenting subsequent tasks until at least one of a predetermined time limited is exceeded and a predetermined number of tasks have been performed, such that the difficulty level of the subsequent task approaches a memory capacity of the user.

2. The computer training system according to claim 1 , wherein said predetermined adaptation rules determine that after at least one correct answer the difficulty level is raised and after at least one incorrect answer the difficulty level is lowered.

3. The computer training system according to claim 2 , wherein said difficulty level is raised after three correct answers and wherein the difficulty level is lowered after one incorrect answer.

4. The computer training system according to claim 1 , wherein the computer is connectable to a server adapted for storing results of the tasks.

5. The computer training system according to claim 4 , wherein the computer comprises a network interface for connecting to the server via a network.

6. The computer training system claim 4 , wherein said server is accessible via a second computer.

7. The computer training system according to claim 1 , wherein the computer is connectable to a server adapted for storing the working memory training computer program to enable a user to download the working memory training computer program to the computer.

8. A computer program product directly loadable into a computer in a computer training system, for improving the working memory capacity of a user the computer program product comprises software for performing the steps of:

executing the computer program product;

presenting a first task of a first difficulty level to a user via a presentation means;

providing a delay of a predetermined period of time, and during said delay time ignoring user answers and removing at least one of visual and audible stimuli associated with the presented task;

receiving an answer to said presented task via an input means;

evaluating whether said answer is correct or incorrect;

adapting the difficulty level of a subsequent task to be presented, in accordance with predetermined adaptation rules and said evaluation; and

presenting subsequent tasks in accordance with the steps above until at least one of a predetermined time limit is exceeded and a predetermined number of tasks have been performed, such that the difficulty level of the subsequent task approaches a memory capacity of the user.

9. The computer program product according to claim 8 , wherein said predetermined adaptation rules determine that after at least one correct answer the computer program product performs the step of:

raising the difficulty level;

and wherein said predetermined adaptation rules determine that after one or more incorrect answers the computer program product performs the step of:

lowering the difficulty level.

10. The computer program product according to claim 9 , wherein said difficulty level is raised after three correct answers and wherein the difficulty level is lowered after one incorrect answer.

11. The computer program product according to claim 8 , wherein the degree of difficulty of subsequent tasks is adapted in such a way that the user will tend to solve the tasks at a degree of correctness of 70–90%.

12. The computer program product according to claim 11 , wherein, said degree of correctness is 80%.

13. The computer program product according to claim 8 , further performing the step of: storing the results of a task in a server connected to the computer.

14. The computer program product according to claim 8 , wherein the computer program product is downloaded from a server.

15. The computer program product according to claim 8 , wherein the predetermined delay time is 0.1 to 10 seconds.

16. The computer program product according to claim 8 , performing the step of:

presenting a visual or auditory disturbance during said delay.

17. The computer program product according claim 8 , wherein the tasks are adapted for training the spatial part of the working memory of the user.

18. The computer program product according to claim 8 , wherein the tasks are adapted for training the verbal part of the working memory of the user.

19. The computer program product according to claim 8 , wherein the tasks are adapted for training the object orienting part of the working memory of the user.

20. The computer program product according to claim 8 , wherein the computer program product is used for therapeutic treatment of a person with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

21. The computer program product according to claim 20 , wherein the therapeutic treatment is used for reducing the hyperactivity of the person with ADHD.

22. The computer program product according to claim 8 , wherein the computer program product is used for therapeutic treatment of a person with traumatic brain injury.

23. The computer program product accorcing to claim 8 , wherein the computer program product is used for therapeutic treatment of an old person with impaired capacity of the working memory.

24. The computer program product according to claim 8 , wherein the computer program product is remotely accessed from a second computer via a server and a network.

25. The computer program product according to claim 8 wherein the computer program product is presented to the user as a game.

26. A computer usable medium, comprising software instructions which, when executed by a computer, perform the steps of:

using software instructions of a computer usable medium to activate a computer;

presenting a first task of a first difficulty level to a user via a presentation means;

providing a delay of a predetermined period of time, and during said delay time ignoring user answers and removing at least one of visual and audible stimuli associated with the presented task;

receiving an answer from a user to said presented task via an input means;

evaluating whether said answer is correct or incorrect;

adapting the difficulty level of a subsequent task to be presented, in accordance with predetermined adaptation rules and said evaluation; and

presenting subsequent tasks in accordance with the steps above until at least one of a predetermined time limit is exceeded and a predetermined number of tasks have been performed, such that the difficulty level of the subsequent task approaches a memory capacity of the user.

27. The computer usable medium according to claim 26 , wherein said predetermined adaptation rules determine that after one or more correct answers the computer usable medium performs the step of: raising the difficulty level; and wherein said predetermined adaptation rules determines that after one or more incorrect answers the computer program product performs the step of: lowering the difficulty level.

28. The computer usable medium according to claim 27 , wherein said difficulty level is raised after three correct answers and wherein the difficulty level is lowered after one incorrect answer.

29. A method for improving a working memory of a user, comprising:

iteracively performing the following steps until at least one of a predetermined time limit is exceeded and a predetermined number of tasks have been performed;

presenting a task having a difficulty level to a user;

for a predetermined period of time, ignoring user answers and removing at least one of visual and audible stimuli associated with the presented task; receiving an answer to the presented task from the user;

evaluating whether the answer is correct; and

adapting the difficulty level of a subsequent task to be

presented in accordance with predetermined adaption rules and said evaluation such that the difficulty level of the subseguent task approaches a memory capacity of the user.