NeuroTrax Science Team and Glen M. Doniger, PhD
Many lifestyle interventions purport to improve brain health, but measuring their true impact requires objective, repeatable assessment. NeuroTrax serves as a digital neuromarker that objectively quantifies cognitive performance over time, enabling clinicians and researchers to evaluate how lifestyle choices and wellness interventions influence brain function. By providing precise longitudinal measurements of cognitive efficiency, NeuroTrax can track changes resulting from exercise, nutrition, cognitive training, and other interventions, helping distinguish meaningful improvements from subjective perceptions (1–3).
Physical activity is among the most well-established lifestyle factors associated with better cognitive health. Research has shown that higher levels of aerobic fitness are linked with better executive function and global cognition, while objectively measured physical activity is positively associated with faster cognitive processing speed (2,4). Even a single session of aerobic or resistance exercise has been shown to produce measurable improvements in attention and executive functioning on NeuroTrax, demonstrating that the brain can respond to healthy activity almost immediately (3,5). Related studies found that a single 30-minute session of balance and coordination exercises significantly improves attention in older adults, highlighting the exceptional ability of physical exercise to maintain cognitive acuity across the lifespan (6).
Beyond physical exercise, NeuroTrax has been used to evaluate the effectiveness of various cognitive training programs. In individuals with mild cognitive impairment, supervised computerized cognitive training yielded significant improvements in memory and information processing speed (1,2). Immersive virtual reality training has resulted in improved visual spatial ability; virtual reality treadmill training enhanced executive function and dual-task performance in children with ADHD (7,8). These findings demonstrate how objective digital cognitive testing can measure the real-world impact of targeted brain-training interventions.
Nutrition also plays an important role in cognitive efficiency. Long-term adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet has been associated with better trajectories for global cognition and executive function on NeuroTrax (9). Notably, even relatively short periods of calorie restriction can measurably affect brain performance. Research has demonstrated that a complete 12 to 16-hour fast resulted in slower cognitive processing speed (10). Similarly, Vaisman and colleagues found that eating a regular, high-protein breakfast significantly improved cognitive efficiency in individuals with liver cirrhosis experiencing minimal hepatic encephalopathy, suggesting that simple nutritional habits can produce measurable improvements in cognitive function by reducing the impact of metabolic stressors such as ammonia accumulation (11).
NeuroTrax also enables the objective monitoring of advanced wellness interventions. Case reports combining NeuroTrax cognitive testing with biological markers have shown that intensive therapies such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) were associated with improvements in global cognition alongside increases in cerebral perfusion and telomere length (12). These metrics provide empirical evidence that lifestyle and wellness interventions may produce meaningful changes in brain health, helping quantify what has been described as the "difference between zero and one."
As interest in preventative brain health continues to grow, objective measurement is becoming increasingly important. NeuroTrax provides a reliable approach for monitoring cognitive efficiency over time, allowing individuals to move beyond subjective impressions and quantify how exercise, nutrition, cognitive training, and wellness programs influence brain performance. Indeed, NeuroTrax serves as a widely used digital neuromarker, empowering clinicians to make more informed decisions while tracking progress throughout their patient’s cognitive wellness journey.
References
[1] Lampit, A., Hallock, H., Moss, R., Kwok, S., Rosser, M., Lukjanenko, M., Kohn, A., Naismith, S., Brodaty, H., and Valenzuela, M. (2014). The timecourse of global cognitive gains from supervised computer-assisted cognitive training: A randomized, active-controlled trial in elderly with multiple dementia risk factors. Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease, 1(1), 33–39. DOI: 10.14283/jpad.2014.18
[2] Marinac, C.R., Godbole, S., Kerr, J., Natarajan, L., Patterson, R.E., and Hartman, S.J. (2015). Objectively measured physical activity and cognitive functioning in breast cancer survivors. Journal of Cancer Survivorship, 9(2), 230–238. DOI: 10.1007/s11764-014-0404-0
[3] Dunsky, A., Abu-Rukun, M., Tsuk, S., Dwolatzky, T., Carasso, R., and Netz, Y. (2017). The effects of a resistance vs. an aerobic single session on attention and executive functioning in adults. PloS One, 12(4):e0176092. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0176092
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[5] Tsuk S., Netz, Y., Dunsky, A., Zeev, A., Carasso, R., Dwolatzky, T., Salem, R., Behar, S., and Rotstein, A. (2019). The acute effect of exercise on executive function and attention: Resistance versus aerobic exercise. Advances in Cognitive Psychology, 15(3), 208–215. DOI: 10.5709/acp-0269-7
[6] Dunsky, A., Unger, L., Carasso, R., and Fox, O. (2023). The effect of a single session of balance and coordination training on cognitive function in older adults. Applied Sciences, 13(6):3598. DOI: 10.3390/app13063598
[7] Delgado, F., and Greenberg, J. (2024). Cognitive and practice effects of immersive virtual reality use in older adults: Preliminary results. Innovation in Aging, 8(S1), 1231. DOI: 10.1093/geroni/igae098.3939
[8] Shema-Shiratzky, S., Brozgol, M., Cornejo-Thumm, P., Geva-Dayan, K., Rotstein, M., Leitner, Y., Hausdorff, J.M., and Mirelman, A. (2019). Virtual reality training to enhance behavior and cognitive function among children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: Brief report. Developmental Neurorehabilitation, 22(6), 431–436. DOI: 10.1080/17518423.2018.1476602
[9] Lutski, M., Weinstein, G., Ben-Zvi, S., Goldbourt, U., and Tanne, D. (2022). Adherence to Mediterranean diet and subsequent cognitive decline in men with cardiovascular disease. Nutritional Neuroscience,25(1), 91–99. DOI: 10.1080/1028415X.2020.1715049
[10] Doniger, G.M., Simon, E.S., and Zivotofsky, A. (2006). Cognitive sequelae of a complete 12-16 hour fast. Behavioral Neuroscience, 120(4), 804–816. DOI: 10.1037/0735-7044.120.4.804
[11] Vaisman, N., Katzman, H., Carmiel-Haggai, M., Lusthaus, M., and Niv, E. (2010). Breakfast improves cognitive function in cirrhotic patients with cognitive impairment. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 92(1), 137–140. DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.2010.29211
[12] Maroon, J.C. (2022). The effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on cognition, performance, proteomics, and telomere length – The difference between zero and one: A case report. Frontiers in Neurology, 13:949536. DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2022.949536
