Jeffrey S. Spence, PhD

Director of Biostatistics
Dr. Jeff Spence is the director of biostatistics at the Center for BrainHealth® at The University of Texas at Dallas and also holds an adjunct faculty appointment in the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Epidemiology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.
Dr. Spence collaborates with scientists and clinical researchers across several universities and continues to mentor doctoral students, postdoctoral fellows and clinical scholars from UT Dallas, Southwestern Medical Center, as well as Southern Methodist University.
Dr. Spence’s research interest, for which he has received NIH funding, involves the development of theory and methodology applied to analyses of functional neuroimaging studies of the human brain. His work has been published in prominent peer-reviewed journals in the fields of statistics and neuroimaging, and he has been an invited speaker at several university symposia and national technical meetings. His research has been an important factor for aiding in the identification of mechanisms of cognitive illnesses, including the multi-symptom complex known as Gulf War Syndrome, post-traumatic stress disorder, mild cognitive impairment, traumatic brain injury and addiction.

A Novel BrainHealth Index Prototype Improved by Telehealth-Delivered Training During COVID-19
This groundbreaking study examines the potential to revolutionize global health using a holistic, personalized measure of brain fitness (the BrainHealth® Index) in conjunction with SMART™ Brain Training.

Efficacy of Cognitive Training When Translated From the Laboratory to the Real World
This study presents preliminary evidence on the efficacy of SMART™ protocols administered to military, veteran and law enforcement populations over a condensed time frame.

Cognitive Training and Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Randomized Pilot Trial
This randomized controlled trial combines the SMART™ protocol with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), confirming SMART can significantly enhance cognitive performance in mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Distinct Brain and Behavioral Benefits From Cognitive vs. Physical Training: A Randomized Trial in Aging Adults
Both cognitive and physical training enhance brain functioning and cognition, but this randomized controlled trial (RCT) shows that cognitive training like SMART™ can have a distinct impact on executive function.

Enhancing Executive Function and Neural Health in Bipolar Disorder Through Reasoning Training
This pilot study applies the SMART™ protocol to show that short-term reasoning training has the potential to improve cognitive performance in adults with bipolar disorder (BD).
Contact Info
Phone Number
972.883.3283