Diseases & conditions

Study: Brain Training Reverses 10 Years of Cognitive Aging in World First

Published OCT 16 2025

Story

Above: Blue neurons with glowing segments over blue background. Image credit: Unsplash

The Facts

The INHANCE trial, conducted at McGill University from July 2021 to December 2023, has found that online brain training exercises enhance cholinergic brain networks, according to results published in JMIR Serious Games on Monday. The study was reportedly the largest FEOBV-PET to date.
JMIR Serious Games
IFLScience
McGill University
Participants — 92 healthy older adults aged 65 and above — were randomly assigned to either speed-based cognitive training using BrainHQ exercises or an active control group playing non-speeded computer games. Both groups completed 35 hours of training over 10 weeks at 30 minutes per day.
Medicalxpress
Sciencedirect
The study used FEOBV-PET imaging with a radioactive tracer that binds to vesicular acetylcholine transporter proteins, which are exclusively expressed in cholinergic neurons, allowing researchers to measure cholinergic system health before and after training.
Longevity Technology
JMIR Serious Games
Participants in the speed training group showed a 2.3% increase in FEOBV binding in the anterior cingulate cortex, while the control group showed no significant change, suggesting that the improvement may offset almost a decade of typical age-related decline.
EurekAlert!
IFLScience
The cholinergic system naturally declines by approximately 2.5% per decade between ages 20 and 80, and current pharmaceutical treatments, such as cholinesterase inhibitors, can only prevent acetylcholine breakdown rather than increase its production.
IFLScience
Sciencedirect
This is the first human study demonstrating that any intervention, pharmaceutical or behavioral, can restore cholinergic function to levels typically seen in someone 10 years younger, and holds potential implications for dementia prevention and cognitive health.
Longevity Technology
McGill University
Varun Mayya on Instagram

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The Spin

Narrative A

This breakthrough research proves brain training actually works by boosting acetylcholine levels and reversing a decade of cognitive aging in just 10 weeks. Unlike generic puzzles, specialized speed-processing games create fundamental brain-wide changes that preserve the key neurotransmitter essential for memory and focus.

CNN

Narrative B

Brain games are nothing more than expensive snake oil preying on seniors' fears about cognitive decline. The scientific consensus from leading researchers at Stanford and Max Planck reveals that these products deliver only narrow, fleeting improvements that don't translate into real-world benefits or prevent dementia, as falsely advertised.