E-gaming potential at the fingertips? Kyowa Hakko unveils supplement impact on tapping speed

12 Aug 2022 --- Kyowa Hakko USA is launching the “Tap Challenge Game” app, enabling e-gamers to see the effects of the company’s citicoline supplement, Cognizin, on their finger tapping skills. The new app is available for iOS. However, it is not available for Android platforms.

NutrititionInsight speaks to Maria Stanieich, marketing manager, Kyowa Hakko USA, and app developer Christian Tietze about Cognizin Citicoline, a branded nootropic, and how the supplement can enhance gaming performance.

“Citicoline is a naturally occurring nutrient found in the brain,” explains Stanieich. “It increases an important substance called phosphatidylcholine that is critical for healthy brain function. Many gamers and those in the e-sports profession benefit from a non-stimulant that would not have the adverse side effects of jitters or spikes in one’s energy levels.”

“We also knew we needed to create an easy way for the consumer to understand what Cognizin was and could do for gamers,” she continues. “We made a fun and gaming way to draw consumers to our Tap Challenge app that tested one’s ability to tap. The response has been overwhelming.”

Untapped potentialKyowa Hakko says the app is perfect for gamers but also for anybody interested in long-term brain-health.
According to Kyowa Hakko, the impetus for this launch started almost a decade ago, following the results of a finger tap study. The 30-day, double-blind study tested the effects of Cognizin on a group of adolescent males and measured their cognitive and keyboard actions, like those used when gaming.

“Cognizin impacts not only attention and focus but also the motor speed that can be utilized for e-sports or any sport,” Stanieich underscores. “The study showed a benefit in the users taking Cognizin, and the investigators contributed the positive results of the research to its ability to improve bioenergetics in the frontal lobe and enhance dopaminergic activity.”

Stanieich further elaborates, stating that the supplement increases the available energy for brain cells allowing consumers to perform their tasks better.

“While the finger tap addresses motor speed and control, we have research in other areas that would also greatly benefit gamers,” she says. 

She continues and adds that the two studies utilized the Continuous performance test and showed that Cognizin decreases errors while on task. “Another study using the Ruff 2&7 selective attention test showed that it improved sustained and selective visual attention.”

“When you look at all these combined effects, motor speed, errors while on task and visual attention, it is truly a perfect choice for a gamer.”

Tapping other markets
Though marketed to gamers and tested on young males, Kyowa Hakko holds that Cognizin is for anybody who wants increased cognition and is interested in lasting brain health. Stanieich explains that though “many other cognitive health ingredients only enhance brain performance, Cognizin provides more comprehensive brain health support for the long-term.”

A study showed that the supplement increased the speed with which participants conducted keyboard-like actions.According to Stanieich, the supplement provides “essential structural components” for synthesizing brain cell membranes, helps support the formation of several brain chemicals that regulate cognitive function and may help facilitate brain cell communication. Furthermore, she states that brain imaging technology has shown that it helps increase brain energy. 

“Cell membranes are synthesized and maintained,” she says. “Vital brain chemicals are produced. Electrical impulses are generated. These activities help improve the overall functioning of the brain, which is how Cognizin helps to significantly increase the ability to focus, concentrate and support overall cognitive health.”

Beating competition
The app allows consumers to test how fast they can tap one finger within 20 seconds and has a leaderboard where users can check their performance against others. A novice may be initially excited that they can tap their finger almost 120 times within the timeframe, only to be chagrined when they see the top score on the leaderboard is twice that number.

The app’s creator states that in developing and launching, they had to deal with “some risky ‘known unknowns.’”

“We developed the app in a new technology Apple introduced a couple of years ago called SwiftUI,” Tietze details. “We evaluated our options carefully but didn’t know that it would work out that great from the start. It was a bit of a gamble with our time: in the case of a dead end, we would’ve had to rewrite everything in the old way.”

“Of course, that would have been on our heads, so the risk was 100% with us,” Tietze adds. “Fortunately, there were no roadblocks, in the end, just some things we had to think twice about. We believe the user experience turned out great. And some of the upsides of SwiftUI paid off, too; we ended up working in subtle animations, sound effects, and transitions with ease, so our gamble paid off.”

By William Bradford Nichols