Faced with the widespread idea that cognitive decline over the years is inevitable, a study from the Center for Brain Health, belonging to the University of Texas in Dallas (United States), suggests that it is possible to improve brain function at any age. And all this through micro-training sessions of between 5 and 15 minutes daily.
The center has conducted research among nearly 4,000 American adults between the ages of 19 and 94 over the past three years and concludes that there is no limit to improving brain health through active participation and personal autonomy. The study, which was published in May on the academic portal Scientific Reports. states that brain performance can be optimized through ongoing, targeted brain health practices.
Cognitive debt is the cost of trusting new platforms to think, remember, or solve problems.
The conclusions are especially relevant in a context in which concern is growing about the effect of excessive delegation of thinking functions to artificial intelligence tools. Global experts warn of the so-called cognitive debt, that is, the mental cost of entrusting the effort of thinking, remembering or solving problems to new platforms.
This study was conducted as part of the Brain Health Project, a large-scale, long-term research initiative that explores how to strengthen and optimize brain health across the lifespan by identifying practical strategies to optimize it. It was launched in 2020 and is accessible to everyone through a website and an application.
Exercise cognitive abilities
The research has opted for a combination of education, exercises and advice. Thus, it has had a part focused on training offered through an online platform that, Duolingo style, includes daily units of 5 to 10 minutes with videos, tests and activities based on the SMART protocol (Strategic Memory Advanced Reasoning Tactics), which according to researchers, promotes functional connectivity, cerebral blood flow and neuronal efficiency.
The protocol focuses on improving the brain’s executive functions by activating three key cognitive areas. On the one hand, strategic attention, for example, reducing information intake, prioritizing concentration and allowing moments of brain rest. On the other hand, integrated reasoning, that is, synthesizing information and applying abstract ideas; and finally, innovation, such as considering multiple perspectives and possibilities, and generating novel solutions to problems.
These are not games like crossword puzzles or mathematical exercises. In this case, the activities are designed to strengthen cognitive abilities. For example, the first exercise after registering consists of taking a short text that is being read that day, reviewing it and crossing out irrelevant information, to filter out what is superfluous and reduce information overload.
The daily modules also have training resources that include research, press articles and videoconferences and that address stress management practices and the development of resilience, as well as sleep hygiene, integrating brain strategies with the promotion of specific and practical healthy lifestyle habits. These align with the training pills, such that if the module exercise focuses on the completion of a single task (as opposed to multitasking), the habit to promote would be “Reserve between 30 and 60 minutes of focused, uninterrupted time for your most important tasks of the day.”
The platform allows participants to receive daily habit reminders, track their habit streaks, and earn digital badges.
User activity and performance has been measured through the Brain Health Index, which seeks to provide a holistic, multidimensional assessment of brain health and performance. The index combines measures of complex cognition with others related to three key factors: cognitive health, associated with executive functions and memory; social health, linked to the connection with people and vital purpose; and emotional health, associated with issues such as mood, stress or anxiety.
There is no known limit to brain optimization
Daily cognitive exercise promotes brain health
The researchers’ findings point to significant improvements in brain health across the board. They explain that even the participants with the best initial performance continued to improve for more than 1,000 days, suggesting that there is no known limit to brain optimization.
The findings also indicate that participants who entered the study with the lowest initial scores demonstrated the most significant rates of improvement, proving that poor brain health is not something to resign yourself to. Additionally, young people experienced improvements equal to those of older people, breaking the idea that proactive brain health is only for older people.
On the other hand, the analysis highlights the importance of daily training and the difference that small habits can make. The researchers assure that the improvements observed are directly related to the consistency in the use of the platform. Participants who spent more time on daily 5- to 15-minute microworkouts and adopted brain-healthy habits in their daily lives achieved the highest brain health scores.
In addition, the positive rebound effect of microtraining in the recovery, maintenance or improvement of brain health during significant stress situations, such as illness, loss of employment or caring for loved ones, is highlighted. According to the researchers, this shows that brain health is not something fixed and that it can be trained, re-educated and controlled with tools.
Those responsible for the Center for Brain Health consider that the results of the study show the importance of a proactive attitude in terms of maintaining mental health and that the brain is measured by its potential, not by age. “Human beings have already increased our life expectancy. Now, we are extending the time during which the brain can continue to improve, interrupting the trajectory of decline that usually begins in the early 30s.“said Sandra Bond Chapman, Director of the center and professor at the University of Texas. “The true promise of a longer life lies in a brain that allows us to thrive year after year”.
Furthermore, among their conclusions they also emphasize the need to strengthen brain health in public health systems. It ensures that promoting a proactive attitude towards brain performance influences individual well-being, but also offers the possibility of reducing healthcare costs and increasing productivity.
