The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) is pioneering new research in cognitive neuroscience, focusing on the intricate mechanisms behind spatial navigation and memory formation in the human brain. With an emphasis on elucidating how individuals maneuver through their environments and retain critical information, this research aims to open new avenues for combating neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s, which continue to devastate millions worldwide. The exploration of brain plasticity in these domains may hold the key to developing interventions capable of preserving cognitive function and enhancing quality of life for at-risk populations.
According to statistics from the National Institutes of Health, over six million Americans currently face dementia, while projections suggest that nearly 42% of individuals aged 55 and older may develop dementia during their lifetime. These stark realities underscore an urgent need for innovative strategies that opt not merely for symptom management but for the preservation and possible restoration of neural functions. It is within this urgent context that cognitive neuroscientists like Dr. Steven Weisberg at UTA are advancing the frontiers of knowledge on how targeted cognitive training can reshape brain functionality.
Dr. Weisberg, who joined UTA’s College of Science in 2024 after a distinguished tenure at the University of Florida, specializes in assessing how experience-driven cognitive enhancements manifest within neural substrates. Collaborating with researchers from the University of Arizona, Weisberg recently contributed to an influential study published in eLife that scrutinized the effects of guided cognitive training on young adults’ navigation and verbal memory abilities. This investigation challenged traditional assumptions about structural brain changes being the primary locus of cognitive improvement.
Contrary to the commonly held notion that enhanced brain function hinges on increased hippocampal volume—a critical region implicated in spatial navigation and memory—the findings from this study highlight that the key adaptations occur at the level of functional connectivity. The hippocampus may not physically enlarge, but the manner in which it communicates with other brain regions undergoes significant plastic shifts. These dynamic changes recalibrate neural networks to promote superior behavioral outcomes, suggesting that functional neuroplasticity underpins skill acquisition and improvement.
Weisberg analogizes these findings with training in skill-based sports: while lifting weights strengthens muscles, it does not improve the finesse or strategy required in tennis or golf directly. Similarly, cognitive training does not simply “bulk up” brain tissue but optimizes the efficiency of neural signaling pathways to refine mental performance. This distinction refocuses attention on the brain’s remarkable capacity for reconfiguration, rather than outright growth, as the cornerstone of learning and memory enhancement.
The research team conducted a month-long investigation involving seventy-five young adults, who were systematically assigned to three distinct groups based on training type: a navigation group, a verbal memory group, and a control group without specific cognitive tasks. The navigation group tasked participants with exploring a video game-style virtual city filled with recognizable landmarks—the kind that evoke spatial awareness akin to real-world experience. Notably, participants in this cohort exhibited demonstrable improvement in their ability to learn new areas more rapidly, illustrating near transfer effects where task-specific gains translate into enhanced related skills within the same cognitive domain.
Similarly, verbal memory participants employed mnemonic strategies that linked word lists to deeply personal autobiographical memories, strengthening their recall capabilities over time. This method capitalizes on the temporal and emotional significance of memories, facilitating encoding and retrieval by anchoring abstract information into meaningful life contexts. The success of this memory technique, as observed through improved performance on progressively longer word lists, further underscores the plastic and adaptable nature of the human brain when appropriately stimulated.
A critical takeaway from this study is the differentiation between near and far transfer effects. Near transfer describes performance enhancement within tasks closely aligned with the training activity, whereas far transfer denotes the application of learned skills to entirely distinct cognitive challenges. While this initial research yielded compelling evidence for near transfer in both navigation and verbal memory, far transfer effects were not observed. This gap motivates subsequent studies aiming to understand how and whether cognitive training might foster broad-ranging enhancements across disparate mental faculties.
Capitalizing on these insights, Weisberg and his colleagues are designing forthcoming research involving older adults—individuals aged 63 and above—where the emphasis will pivot toward evaluating the feasibility and efficacy of virtual reality as a medium for cognitive training. This population segment is crucial, given the heightened susceptibility to cognitive decline with age. The study will not only monitor behavioral changes but also rigorously assess the potential for far transfer effects, replacing the verbal memory condition with an attention-focused modality that previous work suggests may better elicit broad cognitive benefits in aging cohorts.
The future research pipeline culminates in the ambition to execute a large-scale clinical trial that examines these training paradigms within a wider, more diverse population. The integration of UTA’s state-of-the-art Clinical Imaging Research Center, equipped with a cutting-edge 3-Tesla MRI scanner, enhances the institute’s capability to correlate behavioral findings with precise neuroimaging data. This technological advantage facilitates a granular understanding of the neural underpinnings associated with cognitive training, offering unprecedented clarity into how real-world brain function adapts in response to targeted interventions.
Dr. Weisberg expresses optimism about the synergistic potential embedded in UTA’s interdisciplinary neuroscience initiatives. “Our positioning allows us to probe fundamental questions about how the aging brain reorganizes itself,” he explains. “We are poised not only to observe changes but to actively design interventions that help individuals maintain sharper cognitive abilities longer.”
UTA’s commitment to advancing research in brain health coalesces with its larger educational and scientific mission as a Carnegie R-1 classified university, offering a robust ecosystem for translational neuroscience research. With a vast student body and extensive resources, the university is well-positioned to contribute meaningful discoveries that bridge laboratory findings with clinically relevant outcomes.
The implications of this research extend beyond academic curiosity; they hold tangible promise for improving millions of lives afflicted by cognitive disorders. With USA demographics trending towards an aging population, and the concurrent rise in dementia diagnoses, innovative approaches that harness the brain’s plastic potential are urgently needed to stem this public health crisis.
In summary, the innovative work led by Dr. Weisberg and his collaborators marks a pivotal step toward understanding the complex relationship between functional brain changes and behavioral improvements in navigation and memory domains. By shifting the research paradigm from structural brain modification to functional neuroplasticity, this work challenges established beliefs and lays the groundwork for more effective cognitive training interventions. As efforts progress to older populations and expand into larger clinical trials, these findings may revolutionize how cognitive decline is managed and potentially reversed.
Subject of Research: People
Article Title: Newly trained navigation and verbal memory skills elicit changes in task-related networks but not brain structure
News Publication Date: 29-Sep-2025
Web References: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.106873.2
Image Credits: UT Arlington
Keywords: Brain, Brain structure, Human brain, Psychological science, Neuroscience, Behavioral neuroscience, Alzheimer disease, Dementia, Cognitive disorders
