A new neuroimaging study from NYU researchers has found that speed-of-processing brain exercises can be used to help rebuild the white matter in brains scarred by traumatic brain injury.
Journal of Neurotrauma “Computerized Cognitive Remediation Affects White Matter Microstructure in Relation to Improved Cognitive Function in Adults with Chronic Traumatic Brain Injury.”
This study comes just weeks after results found that the same speed training exercise can help prevent dementia over 20 years by 25%.
Journal of Translational Research & Clinical Interventions “Impact of cognitive training on claims-based diagnosed dementia over 20 years: evidence from the ACTIVE study.”
The back-to-back studies suggest a new reality for brain science: our brain’s physical wiring is more repairable than scientists have previously thought and possibly heralding a new era of understanding brain mechanics and of treatments.
Breakthrough shown to cut dementia risk
The researchers identified how the same type of brain training found to reduce dementia risk in a recent ACTIVE Study can also repair white matter damaged by brain injury. The brain training used in both studies are exercises found in the BrainHQ app from Posit Science.
For decades, the medical consensus has been that a brain eroded by time or damaged by injury could, at best, be taught to “cope” with its limitations. But back-to-back studies this month expose a new reality: the brain’s physical wiring is far more “repairable” than we ever dared imagine.
By pushing participants’ limits with speed-of-processing training—a high-intensity digital exercise—researchers have shown that we can not only slash the 20-year risk of dementia by 25%, but also physically remodel neural connectivity of a brain scarred by traumatic injury.
Research can help repair brain injuries
“Together, these findings signal a historic shift from compensatory therapy to restorative medicine, proving that whether you are a senior citizen fending off decline or a survivor recovering from brain trauma, the secret to a resilient brain may lie in how fast you can train your brain to operate,” observes Dr. Henry Mahncke, CEO of Posit Science, in a statement sent to Digital Journal.
Earlier this month, the U.S. NIH-funded, 2800-person, “Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly” (ACTIVE) Study garnered headlines when it found a modest amount (less than 23 hours spread over 36 months) of speed-of-processing brain training resulted in a 25 percent reduction in participants being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or other dementias over 20 years, as compared to the control group.
Now, a new neuroimaging study from researchers at NYU illustrates that speed-of-processing training from BrainHQ is more than a preventive tool. It helped participants with long-term issues from brain injuries by repairing white matter—the insulation that wraps the nerve fibres that function as the high-speed “wiring” connecting different brain regions.
This “re-wiring” was not just a biological change; it translated into gains in cognitive performance, including processing speed, attention, working memory, and everyday cognitive functioning. Using an imaging technique called correlational tractography, the study showed the exercises improved density and organization of the brain’s pathways, directly linking physical repair of the brain’s wiring to recovery of lost mental sharpness.
“What ties the studies together is how they induce brain plasticity—the brain’s ability to change, chemically, structurally, and functionally,” Mahncke explains. “The speed-of-processing exercises customize to each user and progressively challenge the brain to engage plasticity – whether we are looking at prevention, recovery, or even improving peak performance.”
In related news, researchers at McGill University (the “Improving Neurological Health in Aging Via Neuroplasticity-Based Computerized Exercise” or INHANCE Study), showed BrainHQ exercises upregulated the production of acetylcholine (the “pay attention” chemical) known to downregulate with normal aging and to plummet with dementia. It is the first intervention ever shown to do so.