Scientists Found That Brain Health Can Improve at Any Age With Regular Mental Training

A large new study suggests that the brain may remain capable of meaningful improvement well into old age. Researchers followed nearly 4,000 adults for three years and found measurable gains in cognitive performance across every age group, including participants in their 80s and 90s.

The study, published in Scientific Reports, was conducted by researchers at the Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas at Dallas. The findings challenge the common belief that cognitive decline is an unavoidable part of aging, suggesting instead that targeted mental training and sustained engagement may help strengthen several aspects of brain health throughout adulthood.

Measuring Brain Health Beyond Memory

To evaluate participants, the researchers used the BrainHealth Index, a proprietary assessment designed to capture multiple dimensions of cognitive and emotional functioning.

Rather than focusing solely on memory, the index combines approximately 20 measures assessing mental clarity, emotional well-being, sleep quality, happiness, social connection, and sense of purpose.

Participants completed brief daily training exercises lasting between five and 15 minutes that were designed to strengthen higher-order thinking skills.

Instead of comparing participants with others in the same age group, researchers tracked changes within each individual over time, allowing them to measure personal improvement regardless of age.

According to the research team, the BrainHealth Index is designed to detect both positive changes and early signs of cognitive decline by reflecting how the brain functions in everyday life rather than relying only on traditional cognitive tests.

Improvements Across Every Age Group

The analysis included 3,966 adults between the ages of 19 and 94, representing approximately one-fifth of all participants enrolled in the BrainHealth Project.

Over the three-year study period, participants in every age group showed measurable improvements in their BrainHealth Index scores.

Importantly, these gains were not limited to younger adults.

Even participants in their 80s demonstrated positive changes, suggesting that neuroplasticity—the brain's ability to adapt, reorganize, and form new connections—may remain active much later in life than many people assume.

The greatest improvements were observed among participants who entered the program with the lowest initial BrainHealth Index scores.

Researchers suggest these individuals may simply have had greater potential for improvement and may also have been particularly motivated to participate consistently in the training program.

Engagement Was More Important Than Age

One of the study's most notable findings was that consistent participation in the training activities was the strongest predictor of improvement.

Age, sex, and educational background did not reliably determine which participants benefited most over time.

These findings support the idea that everyday behaviors and regular mental exercise may play a more important role in maintaining brain health than demographic characteristics alone.

However, the researchers caution that the study sample was not fully representative of the general population.

Most participants were White, female, and college educated, leading the research team to expand recruitment efforts to include more diverse communities in future phases of the project.

Combining Brain Scans With Cognitive Data

The BrainHealth Project also includes an extensive brain imaging component involving participants from the Dallas area.

Approximately 400 volunteers have undergone more than 1,200 brain scans at the Sammons BrainHealth Imaging Center, allowing researchers to monitor structural and functional changes in the brain over time.

The team plans to compare these imaging findings with BrainHealth Index scores to better understand which brain networks respond most strongly to training and which early changes may predict future cognitive decline.

Ultimately, researchers hope these combined data will help refine brain-training interventions, personalize cognitive health programs, and identify warning signs of neurological disorders years before symptoms become clinically apparent.

Looking Ahead

The study involved collaborators from several institutions, including Trinity College Dublin, the University of California, Berkeley, and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

The BrainHealth Project continues to collect long-term data, supported in part by private philanthropy.

The researchers hope the ongoing work will demonstrate that caring for brain health should be viewed as a lifelong practice rather than something that begins only after cognitive problems emerge.