Dual n-back, long-term memory and dream recall

[Fourier]

Anecdotal:

Since I have started dual-n back, I experience memories, which are dating back various years and decades and had been completely absent until then. To a smaller degree, it also includes dreams dreamt years ago. This type of memory occurs involuntarily, the other by voluntary effort, which can start with the original memory or anything else really. From there, one is able to recreate a significant part of the experiential web of a given time. 

Obviously, anyone is remembering forgotten experiences at times. Yet the frequency of such and the ability to handle them has increased much with dual-n back. Additionally, there seems to be a correlation between their occurrence and the time spent training per day and week. Interestingly, the frequency of immediate dream recall has not been affected.

I'd say, that some sort of connection between long-term memory and attentive space would have been enhanced. It might be related to what one calls "reflection", yet the blackbox of the process which is articulated in the metaphor of a striking idea changed to an experiental string(ency).

Glad to hear your observations.

[STOPCHEMTRAILS Fred]

Not only I gained a very good dream recall but also lucid dreams. Long term memory could be enhanced because N-back is a concentration training, and the more you are able to keep attention on something the more you can recall of it.

I was on 10-back but felt to 6-back after some days off. I noticed that performance in N-back is directly proportional to the time spent training and inversely proportional to the ambient noise you have in the room when training, this is obvious however...

Depending on you level, you will notice dream recall will raise proportionally to your gain in N-back. Once your progress will plateau you will notice that side effects of the training will slowly fade.

Keep in mind that beginners will proceed much faster than advanced players, that's because an advanced player has almost reached his physiological limit. But is also true that an advanced player can still increase the density of his concentration just by increasing the number of rounds per training.

I think that lucid dreams occurs after a large amount of concentration is dissipated by a session of training. 

Concentration has more than one dimension, it is very similar to a signal, it has a peak value, an amplitude and a period. You can either grasp a difficult concept with a short amount of time and a big effort, or keep an avarage value of concentration for a longer period of time. N-back help you to modulate and manipulate your concentration. 

N-back is proven to raise the threshold of concentration, the same way an offset do on a signal. Obviously if you rise your threshold of concentration you will achieve results much easier than before.

To keep your recalling ability from disappearing you have to push further everytime you can. For example if you get accustomed to perform 7-back and never proceed, but instead keep training at 7-back, the amount of concentration required to achieve your daily goal is far less, so it will the dissapation of concentration.

[Fourier]

Did you experience any differences regarding your long-term memory?

The difference to involuntary memories is, that the original experience had not been in the focus of increased concentration, by which it would be more likely to be recalled, as you put it. Still, if concentration also implied the lack of shifting to the next association or experiential impulse, such might trigger long-term associations.

[STOPCHEMTRAILS Fred]

Association is the way our "inside eye" see things. I train mnemonic, so I trained myself to encode numbers and letters in a meaningful way. Can't tell you if N-back did anything on my long term memory. I noticed some transfer of N-back in my everyday life, when for example I see a route on a map and right after I'm able to recall everything about it in a sequential manner.

[Fourier]

I've observed similar. But rather than explaining it by an enhanced WM (which seems to be an effect though), I'd rather think, that DNB enhances everyday filtering of information and the sequential symbolization of it: creating a map of a map of the world, if one wishes.