The aging brain may be more capable of growing and improving than scientists previously thought.
A large three-year study conducted by researchers at the Center for Brain Health (CBH) at the University of Texas at Dallas challenges a long-standing assumption about aging. The results suggest that mental acuity is not destined to decline over time, and that people can enhance cognitive abilities throughout life.
Research published in the magazine Scientific reportswas based on data from the Brain Health Project (BHP), an initiative launched by CBH in 2020 to better understand how to promote and maintain brain health across the lifespan.
The researchers tracked 3,966 adults between the ages of 19 and 94, representing about a fifth of all participants in the Brain Health Project. Over the course of three years, participants spent between five and 15 minutes daily completing short brain training exercises.
Measure changes in brain health
To evaluate changes in participants’ brain health and performance, the researchers used a measurement tool Brain health index (BHI), a patent-pending assessment tool developed by CBH scientists and first introduced in Pilot study 2021.
The Brain Health Index is designed to detect improvements and declines in brain health. It focuses on three main areas: clarity, emotional balance, and connection with people and purpose.
“The BrainHealth Index combines approximately 20 measures, including validated gold standard measures such as the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire, as well as tasks designed in the BrainHealth Center to focus on more complex thinking skills,” said Lori Cook MS’02, PhD’09, director of clinical research at CBH and corresponding author of the Scientific Reports study. “This battery of assessments yields insights into individual brain health and change over time. Progress is measured by comparing results with participants’ previous results.”
Cook, who is also an adjunct assistant professor in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, said the findings suggest a more optimistic outlook on aging.
“Every brain is as unique as a fingerprint, and has the potential to grow,” she said. “This study challenges the prevailing narrative about inevitable cognitive decline, and instead suggests that brain health can be proactively promoted at any age.”
Brain gains seen across the lifespan
According to researchers, positive changes can begin long before symptoms or illness appear. Benefits were observed even among participants in their 80s.
“For too long we have operated under the outdated idea that we need to wait until something bad happens to our brains before we do anything for them,” said Sandra Bond Chapman, senior author of the study, director of CBH and Dee Wyly Distinguished University Chair in BrainHealth. “This study reminds us that our brain is not defined by age, but rather by potential.”
Among the most notable findings of the study were participants who started with the lowest scores on the Brain Health Index. This group has seen the greatest improvements over time.
“Those who start at the lowest level seem to have the greatest opportunity for growth and may come with more pre-existing concerns,” Cook said. “As such, they may be more incentivized to invest the time needed to see more growth potential. But it is worth noting that we have seen meaningful growth even in those who entered the market as high performers.”
Engagement matters more than demographics
The researchers found that the strongest predictor of improvement was participant engagement. Factors such as age, gender, and level of education were not significant drivers of positive change.
However, Cook noted that the pool of participants had limitations. Most participants were white, female, and college educated.
“We have room to grow when it comes to representing different demographic groups,” she said. “We are working hard to increase representation, so we can be more confident in how we generalize to the general population, especially communities that are typically underrepresented in research.”
Cook, who has worked alongside Chapman for more than 25 years after starting as a research assistant, said she appreciates CBH’s ability to connect clinical research, translational care and community outreach. She believes that effectively sharing research findings is essential to creating a beneficial public impact.
“One of the pieces that is near and dear to my heart is helping people connect neuroplasticity to self-agency,” she said. “Brain health is not just something we strive to maintain; we can actively shape it over time. Research like ours, which provides an objective measure of brain health that people can track over time, can only further enhance public awareness.”
Ongoing brain imaging research
Research continues through the BrainHealth project, along with several related sub-studies. Nearly 400 participants from the Dallas area collectively underwent more than 1,200 brain scans at the Sammons BrainHealth Imaging Center.
“This unique imaging dataset provides an opportunity to look at the neural measures associated with BHI and gives us the ability to use periodic brain imaging to explore potential brain mechanisms associated with changes in brain health over time,” Cook said.
Reference: “Measuring and Increasing Brain Health Across Adulthood: A Public Health Imperative” by Lori Gee. Cook, and Jeffrey S. Spence, Zhengxi Zhang, and Erin E. Venza, Aaron Tate, and Ian H. Robertson, Mark D’Esposito, Jeffrey S. F. Laing, and Jane J. Wigginton, Sandra Bond Chapman, May 2, 2026, Scientific reports.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-026-51403-3
Additional study authors currently affiliated with CBH include Medical Sciences Research Director Dr. Jane Wigginton, who also serves as associate director of the Center for Clinical and Translational Research and medical director of the Texas Biomedical Devices Center; Dr. Geoffrey Spence, Director of Biostatistics; Aaron Tate MA’18, director of emerging technology; Erin Venza MS’13, PhD’25, chief clinical operations officer; and Zhengsi Chang Ph.D. ’22, a research scientist. Other contributors came from the Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience in Dublin University of California, BerkeleyJohns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
The BrainHealth Project receives partial support from private philanthropies, including Sammons Enterprises Inc.
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