Overview
- A paper in Scientific Reports in May 2026 reports measurable brain performance gains across adulthood using targeted brain-healthy practices.
- Researchers followed nearly 4,000 adults for about three years and used the BrainHealth Index to assess clarity, connectedness, and emotional balance every six months.
- Participants who spent 5 to 15 minutes a day on strategy-based exercises and used coaching through a web or app made the largest gains.
- Findings show no ceiling on improvement, faster gains for those who started lowest, and a rebound effect during stress such as illness, job loss, or caregiving.
- UT Dallas' Center for BrainHealth is scaling the digital program across all 50 states and more than 60 countries, while addressing limits like low diversity and the need for objective health markers in future work.