A new study published in Frontiers in Psychology demonstrates that proactive brain training can strengthen mental wellness before challenges arise, according to research released on June 10 by the Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas at Dallas.
The study, titled "Improving Mental Health Outcomes Through Online Brain Health Training in Adults With or Without Mental Illness," involved 370 participants between the ages of 18 and 87. The group was evenly split between individuals with a history of mental illness and those without, matched demographically. All participants engaged in Strategic Memory Advanced Reasoning Tactics (SMART) training, which teaches higher-order cognitive strategies intended to translate into daily life.
Researchers tracked changes in mental health and cognitive clarity over six months using the BrainHealth Index (BHI), described as the only validated multidimensional metric capable of measuring holistic changes in brain health and performance over time. The findings suggest that strategy-based digital cognitive training may serve as a scalable preventive approach to support community mental health.
Sarah Laane, PhD, CCC-SLP, research scientist at Center for BrainHealth and lead author of the study, said, "When it comes to physical health, we don't wait for a heart attack to start exercising. Yet, the mental health conversation almost always defaults to a reactive model, focusing on managing anxiety, stress, or depression after they arise. This study flips that paradigm. It proves that we can and should proactively work on our brains to improve our mental wellness long before challenges ever take root."
The article also references recent findings published in Scientific Reports indicating that cognitive decline is not an inevitable part of aging and that improvements are possible regardless of age or starting point.
Funding for this study and The BrainHealth Project was provided by private philanthropy including Sammons Enterprises Inc., as well as by the Texas Research Incentive Program administered by The University of Texas at Dallas and additional support from the Donald Bloom Mental Health Promotion Fund.
