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Center for BrainHealth Joins StrongMind Alliance

Center for BrainHealth

The Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas at Dallas has joined the StrongMind alliance at the invitation of SoldierStrong. StrongMind brings together expertise from the University of Southern California, Syracuse University, Iowa State University and University of Texas at Dallas’ Center for BrainHealth to deliver post-traumatic stress (PTS) treatment solutions to veterans at VA Centers for Innovation nationwide. This initiative is powered by Dr. Skip Rizzo’s Bravemind virtual reality (VR) PTS exposure therapy program. StrongMind leverages cutting-edge VR technology to maximize the effectiveness of this established therapy technique by placing patients in realistic scenarios. The VR element has the added benefit of making therapy more appealing to younger generations. To complement the VR intervention, the Center for BrainHealth will provide BrainHealth Index  and High Performance Brain Training for participating veterans. The BrainHealth Index (formerly BrainHealth Physical) provides pre- and post-treatment measures of cognitive performance, real-life engagement, well-being, social support and depth of relationships. High Performance Brain Training teaches strategies that prime the brain to calibrate mental energy, reinforce strategic thinking and ignite innovation. These strategies have been delivered successfully to a wide range of audiences, including corporate executives, special operations units and people who have experienced a brain injury. “Ensuring the hardware and software components can be used to maximum clinical effect is an entirely different discipline than creating either the hardware or the software, and the very best in the world is the Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas at Dallas,” said Chris Meek, founder of SoldierStrong. “Their work deals not just with treating PTSD, but also with helping maximize the performance of healthy brains in our veterans and active service personnel.” “We are honored to collaborate with StrongMind to provide comprehensive cognitive brain health measurements and interventions for those suffering from pervasive and worsening psychological aftereffects of war and service. Through our randomized clinical trials with veterans and first responders, we have shown significant improvements in working memory, higher-order reasoning, depressive symptoms, anxiety and stress. We stand ready and committed to working with SoldierStrong, the VA and the universities in the alliance,” said Dr. Sandra Bond Chapman, chief director of Center for BrainHealth.CONTACT Stephanie Hoefken 972.883.3221 stephanie.hoefken@utdallas.eduABOUT CENTER FOR BRAINHEALTH Center for BrainHealth®, part of The University of Texas at Dallas, is a translational research institute committed to enhancing, preserving, and restoring brain health across the lifespan. Major research areas include the use of functional and structural neuroimaging techniques to better understand the neurobiology supporting cognition and emotion in health and disease. This leading-edge scientific exploration is translated quickly into practical innovations to improve how people think, work and live, empowering people of all ages to unlock their brain potential. Translational innovations build on Strategic Memory Advanced Reasoning Tactics (SMART™), a proprietary methodology developed and tested by BrainHealth researchers and other teams over three decades.

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Sandra Bond Chapman, PhD

Chief Director Dee Wyly Distinguished Professor, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences Co-Leader, The BrainHealth Project

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